Lake Charles, Louisiana – In July of 2023, Special Victims Unit detectives of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office were informed by the Children’s Safe Harbor Advocacy Center about a case of abuse involving a girl who was younger than 16 years old.
During the inquiry, detectives found out that the abuse began in 2021. The victim revealed that Alejandra Ibarra, a family member who is 31 years old, and a person known to the family, and Gustavo Ramblas, who is 46 years old, were sexually abusing her while they resided in Calcasieu Parish. It was discovered that Ibarra encouraged the victim to engage in sexual activity with Ramblas, promising to take care of her and provide her with money. The victim also disclosed that Ibarra and Ramblas would give her drugs before sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. Investigations revealed that the sexual and physical abuse continued until April 2023 when Ramblas was arrested by the Lake Charles Police Department for an unrelated incident.
Judge Michael Canaday issued a warrant for the arrest of Ibarra and Ramblas on October 31, after conducting additional investigations. The warrant is in the amount of $2,150,000 each. The charges against both individuals include first-degree rape, cruelty to minors, and human trafficking for sexual purposes.
Ramblas, who had been imprisoned at the Pine Prairie ICE processing center since he was apprehended in April, was moved to the Calcasieu Correctional Center and officially booked on November 21.
Detectives have been trying to find Ibarra, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. It is suspected that she is deliberately avoiding capture and might be in the Houston, Texas vicinity. Anyone with any knowledge of her location or who possesses further information regarding this matter, is asked to contact CPSO at (337) 491-3605.
Sheriff Tony Mancuso expressed his deep concern about the case, describing it as extremely disturbing. He highlighted the appalling abuse that the child had disclosed during her interviews and emphasized that no one, especially a child, should have to go through such unimaginable things, particularly at the hands of their own family members. There was gratitude expressed for the fortunate collaboration between different law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level, as well as non-government organizations and nonprofits like the Alliance to Fight Human Trafficking in SWLA, which the CPSO is part of. The goal of this partnership is to combat crimes like the one exposed in this particular case.
Detective Cory Myers from the CPSO Special Victims Unit is the main investigator assigned to this case.
An arrest is an indication that probable cause exists to believe the subject was involved in the offense alleged. All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.