Man Charged In Missing Woman's Death, Body Not Yet Found
BUTLER (KDKA) -- A man is facing charges for fatally shooting a woman who went missing in Butler on Thursday.
Butler City Police reported Friday that Melissa "Missy" Barto, 26, was missing. She was last seen Thursday afternoon. Police say she may have gotten into a silver SUV on Route 8 South under the Hansen Avenue bridge.
Barto was declared a missing person after she didn't show up at her 6-year-old daughter's kindergarten graduation.
State police arrested 21-year-old Ishemer D. Ramsey, of Lyndora, on Sunday morning, charging him for fatally shooting Barto. Police haven't found Barto's body, but they received several tips Saturday that led them to believe she was killed Thursday.
According to the criminal complaint, Ramsey told a friend he shot Barto three times because he thought she was cheating on him. Police also received a tip that Ramsey and a friend were seen at Walmart buying a tarp, rubber gloves and 100 feet of rope.
Ramsey's arrest culminates a brief investigation that was assisted by a number of anonymous tips, including one that led police to stop him in his car.
Police conducted the traffic stop Sunday and took him into custody.
"The suspect was found driving his vehicle," said Trooper James Long, of Pennsylvania State Police. "Whenever the officers made contact with the vehicle there was a strong smell of bleach and there was a seat missing from the vehicle."
Police are hoping someone will come forward with information on where to find the victim's body.
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