Inset: Emilio Ortiz (Scott County Jail). Background: The trailhead for the Wilkie Unit of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Shakopee, Minn. (Google Maps).
An 18-year-old Minnesota man is jailed after allegedly shooting and killing a landscaping-business owner who was both his co-worker and, at times, his boss, authorities say.
Emilio Vallejo Ortiz faces one count of second-degree murder in connection with the death of the 53-year-old man, whose name has not been released.
The case began Oct. 4, when passersby discovered the victim in a ditch beside a hiking trail in Wilkie Park in Shakopee, a city about 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Police who responded found the man roughly 30 feet from the trail, lying in weeds with dried blood on his face, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Minneapolis-based Fox affiliate KMSP and local ABC affiliate KSTP.
Investigators also said the body appeared to have been dragged.
A large pool of blood, three spent 9 mm casings, one live 9 mm round and drag marks were found near the body, according to the charging document. An autopsy determined that the victim died after being shot four times.
Police later recovered a fourth casing about 150 feet from the scene. Hikers told investigators they had found the casing and tossed it away from the trail.
After identifying the victim, detectives searched his apartment and found evidence of damage. They also learned that he had reported a burglary there the day before his body was discovered.
Neighbors told police that the victim owned a landscaping company and employed Ortiz. Authorities said Ortiz had access to the man’s vehicles and sometimes stayed at his apartment.
The victim’s sister speculated to police that Ortiz and the man had been romantically involved. Ortiz denied that claim after his arrest, according to the charging document.
Ortiz reportedly told investigators that the victim had dropped him off at a shopping center that afternoon. He also denied driving the man’s 2023 Ford Raptor that day.
Surveillance footage, however, showed Ortiz behind the wheel of the Raptor with the victim in the passenger seat, police said. The video showed them stopping at a home-improvement store, exiting the truck to purchase a door lock and then leaving together, with Ortiz again driving.
About five minutes later, the victim’s phone registered its final location near the area where his body was found, according to the complaint. Investigators said the phone remained there until it was discovered off the park trail the following day.
Ortiz’s phone was also placed in the park for approximately 20 minutes beginning around the time of the victim’s final phone ping, according to law enforcement.
When investigators confronted Ortiz with the surveillance footage and cellphone-location data, he allegedly replied that he “did not remember that day.”
He was arrested afterward.
In an interview, Ortiz again denied having a relationship with the victim. He said he worked with the man during the week and for his landscaping business on weekends, and he denied owning a firearm.
Police later found the Raptor parked at an apartment approximately 1 mile from Ortiz’s home, according to the charging document. Investigators searching Ortiz’s residence also found a key to the truck.
A search of Ortiz’s cellphone allegedly uncovered a translated message that read: “Get me a Glock, buddy.”
The defendant is detained in the Scott County Jail on $2 million bail. He is slated to appear in court on Friday.