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The family and friends of a 25-year-old are searching for answers after he was found dead in a taxi in New York City.
The story of the death of Long Island native Julio Ramirez, began on Wednesday, April 20, when the young social worker met up with a friend for a night out in Hell’s Kitchen, reported NBC News.
The two men visited several bars with their last stop being the Ritz Bar and Lounge, a gay venue, located in the neighborhood's Restaurant Row, NBC reported.
While at the bar, the two became separated, and the last time Ramirez was seen alive, NBC said was on a nearby security camera walking away from the bar with three unidentified men at 3:17 a.m.
The four men were last seen getting into a taxi, NBC said.
About an hour after picking the men up, the cabbie approached a police officer in Manhattan's Lower East Side and said his passenger was "unresponsive."
Despite efforts to save his life by the officer and EMS personnel, Ramirez was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at 4:49 a.m. on Thursday, April 21, a police source told NBC.
The initial cause of death was listed as a possible drug overdose but was later changed to "pending further study," according to the medical examiner's office.
What baffles family and friends is that when Ramirez, originally from Long Island, and a graduate of the University at Buffalo, was found both his wallet and phone were missing. Without any ID, he was identified initially identified as a "John Doe," NBC wrote.
Now, more than a month after his death, family and friends want answers, especially after his bank account was drained in the days after his death of more than $20,000, NBC reported.
The information was shared with the NYPD by Ramirez's brother, but the department declined to confirm the information.
His family and friends believe the young man who cared for so many may have been slipped drugs and then robbed by the three men, NBC reported.
Ramirez, who was living in Brooklyn at the time of his death, was buried at Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale, on Saturday, April 30.
Those who loved him are attempting to draw attention to his story in an effort to force police and the medical examiner's office to take a closer look at his death, NBC said.
One friend has started an Instagram effort at theapothekari, titled "Justice for Julio," that includes all the stories and information about Ramirez's strange death in hopes that someone will remember something from the fateful night he died.
In the meantime, those who love him wait and wonder what could have happened to their son, brother, and friend.
Click here to read the entire NBC News story here.
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