Report: Carrollton Amber Alert suspect threatened to shoot up Omni Hotel before his capture
DALLAS - The man accused of killing his ex-wife and kidnapping their daughter allegedly threatened employees at the Dallas Omni Hotel.
Ronald Singer was arrested Wednesday at a Red Oak hotel after a statewide Amber Alert was issued for his 10-year-old daughter.
RELATED: Missing 10-year-old Carrollton girl found safe in Red Oak hotel following mother's murder
Police said the girl’s mother, 45-year-old Maria Ramos, was found dead by a roommate at her apartment in Carrollton.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Ramos’ roommate arrived home around 1 a.m. Wednesday and noticed that Singer’s car was in the parking lot but her SUV was not.
Ramos’ roommate told police he tried to text her to ask where she was but she didn’t respond. He said he waited in his vehicle for a few minutes because he knew Ramos often argued with her ex-husband and he didn’t want to get involved.
But after seeing no activity for some time, the affidavit states Ramos’ roommate went inside the apartment. He found her bloody body and signs of a violent struggle.
The court document states Ramos’ 10-year-old daughter had been staying with a friend because a pipe burst in their apartment.
Detectives found a text message from the girl that Ramos never replied to. She asked her mother why she didn’t pick her up, the affidavit states.
Her friend’s parents told police they gave her a ride home Tuesday afternoon because her mother didn’t show up to pick her up from school. She reportedly tried to call her mother several times around 3 p.m. but got no answer.
Singer picked the girl up from her friends’ house Tuesday evening. He was driving Ramos’ SUV at the time, the affidavit states.
After Carrollton police issued an Amber Alert for the 10-year-old Wednesday morning, they got a call from police in Dallas about an incident at the Omni Hotel.
A man matching Singer’s description arrived at the hotel with a girl and tried to book a room. He got angry when he learned the price, claimed the girl’s mother was trying to sell her and threatened to shoot up the hotel and its staff.
According to the affidavit, the Omni Hotel staff wrote down the man’s license plate number before he took off. It matched the license plate number released in the Amber Alert.
Police in Red Oak got involved after Singer and his daughter checked into a hotel there. The desk clerk reportedly sensed something was off and after seeing the Amber Alert called 911.
"This is an example of society coming together to include law enforcement from the North Texas region, the media and citizens of our city and greater Dallas," Carrollton Police Chief Derick Miller said during a news conference.
Singer is being held in the Denton County jail on a murder charge. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
Singer has been arrested several times for misdemeanors in both Texas and Minnesota for driving without a valid license and marijuana possession.