On the morning of Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. Stacey Dramiga, a 63-year-old mother and healthcare worker at Brooke Army Medical Center, was alone on her routine hike along a Texas trail. As nightfall approached, her husband began to worry when she did not return, prompting him to file a missing persons report.
Dramiga’s husband along with one other friend began to search for clues on where she might be, but were only successful in finding her car. To help investigators pinpoint the whereabouts of Dramiga, deputies used an iPad that pinged her phone. A body was discovered the next day along the Salado Creek Greenway in Dafoste Park.
The body was identified by a Bexar County medical examiner. The autopsy report revealed the cause of death to be “blunt force, penetrating trauma of the head.” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar has been communicating with the public regarding updates to the ongoing investigation. On Wednesday, Sept. 25 an arrest was made in connection with Dramiga’s death. The suspect, 37-year-old Marco Antonio Flores, was detained after being seen in the area of the crime and charged with evading arrest. He has not been officially charged with Dramiga’s murder but is the prime suspect. This comes after being questioned by police and providing information about Draminga’s condition that was never public knowledge.
The victim’s family is looking to move forward while healing. Dramiga’s daughter wants her late mother to be remembered as the person she was, not by her murder.
“No, I’m so grateful for the mom I had and she’s been taken from us, but I still had almost 30 years with that,” Dramiga’s daughter said. “Where some people don’t even know that experience.”
Brooke Army Medical Center put out a statement regarding the loss of Dramiga, one of their employees.
“The tragic news that a member of our family, Ms. Stacey Dramiga, was found deceased by the Bexar County Sheriff’s office after having been missing since Sunday morning.“Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, friends, and co-workers. Stacey was a beloved member of the BAMC staff and will be greatly missed.”
Following this tragedy, female hikers in San Antonio have been encouraging people to be aware of their surroundings on solo hikes and carry some sort of protection.
