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Note this article was updated to add a bullet point for August 4, 2026 in the timeline of events. The timeline will continue to be updated as new information emerges.
The curious case of Melissa Ramirez just keeps getting more curious.
Today, the Centinal obtained a copy of a New Britain police incident report about Melissa Ramirez — the Ramirez whom Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas indicated had been receiving death threats for allegedly being falsely identified.
In the report made by Adam 12 from WTIC’s Reese on the Radio program, Adam expressed concern that the Melissa Ramirez residing in New Britain had been receiving death threats. Adam indicated he had spoken with Dan Haar, the journalist with Hearst's CT Insider who spoke directly with the New Britain Ramirez last week, and Adam requested police make a welfare check on Ramirez.
The police narrative states that the Melissa Ramirez of whom “Adam is speaking is allegedly the one who was arrested for the fatal motor vehicle accident. A NCIC and in-house inquiry revealed an address of 259 Grover St Apt 1N; however, no contact was made with Melissa there. A past phone number was found for Melissa; however, upon attempting to call it, the line was no longer active.”
The report indicates the officer has “yet to speak with Melissa nor verify if she was arrested for the fatal motor vehicle accident and Melissa has not yet contacted NBPD regarding any threatening or harassing messages.”
Separately, Reese on the Radio contacted Dan Haar to request the phone number he used to speak with Ramirez last week, hoping to get to the bottom of the deepening mystery.
Haar, however, declined to share the number.
Meanwhile, the Melissa Ramirez that Danbury Police have in custody is due back in court on Tuesday, August 4, at 10 a.m. She is pleading “Not Guilty” to all charges.
Here's What We Know So Far
July 13, 2026: At around 2:45 a.m., a Jeep Compass driven by 27-year-old Melissa Esperanza Ramirez-Romero of Stamford crossed the double yellow on Sugar Hollow Road in Danbury and slammed head-on into a Harley-Davidson. Off-duty Bridgeport Police Officer Cooper Whiteside, 38, and Brittany Islami, 34—a mother of three—died at the scene. Ramirez’s blood-alcohol content was 0.14, nearly twice the legal limit. She tested positive for cannabis. Empty Corona bottles and a THC vape were in the vehicle. She was not a hit-and-run; she was right there, injured, and later charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, DUI, and related offenses.
July 24, 2026: Danbury Police issued a press release about the fatal crash, noting Ramirez was taken into custody in Stamford, CT. Listed charges included two counts of manslaughter in the 2nd degree, illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs/alcohol, traveling unreasonably fast, and failure to drive in the proper lane.
July 27, 2026: Ramirez made her first court appearance at Danbury Superior Court. Her bond was reduced from $500,000 to $300,000 due to her “strong ties” to the community. Court records indicated there was an immigration detainer for Ramirez. A redacted copy of the arrest warrant was posted by Alfonso Robinson of the New Haven Independent. Questions quickly surfaced online about whether Ramirez might have voted, prompting the Connecticut Centinal to file public records requests to registrars’ offices in Stamford and New Britain, since both cities were cited in the report; the Stamford request yielded no results. Separately, the Centinal contacted DHS about the detainer.
July 28, 2026: A DHS spokesperson confirmed in a statement to the Centinal: “Melissa Esperanza Ramirez-Romero is a criminal illegal alien with charges for Vehicular Manslaughter and DUI. On July 26, 2026, ICE lodged a detainer against her.”
July 29, 2026: New Britain Registrar Peter Gostin provided one document responsive to the Centinal’s FOI. The item produced showed a record from the state voter database for an active voter named “Melissa Ramirez” born on July 4, 1999, with multiple address changes and a history of voting in person. The Centinal shared this response with several journalists who were working to investigate the voting claims. Note: the image is authentic and has not been “doctored,” as alleged by SOTS Thomas and others.
Blue Lives Matter shared the voter record the Centinal obtained by FOI at 4:14 p.m. in a post that quickly went viral, especially after the recent story about another illegal alien registered to vote in West Hartford. The Centinal responded to the post, adding, “we are missing the driver’s license number on the warrant — that needs to be confirmed and matched before you can be really sure it’s the same person…” and subsequently requested a copy of the paper voter registration card to obtain the driver’s license number for Ramirez.
The City of Danbury Police Department issued a public notice at 10:26 p.m. that “a woman from New Britain, as well as possibly others with similar names, are being mistakenly identified as the individual responsible for the fatal crash in Danbury on July 13th,” reiterating that Melissa Esperanza Ramirez is a resident of Stamford.
July 30, 2026: The New Britain registrar’s office provided the Centinal a copy of the voter registration address change card with the driver’s license number for Ramirez. This is the first time the Centinal obtained a driver’s license number for Ramirez.
The State of Connecticut DMV issued a statement at 1:12 p.m. to clarify that “individuals with the same or similar names exist in state records, and it is important not to assume that records associated with one individual belong to another.”
Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas issued a video and statement at 7:12 p.m., warning about election misinformation and “reckless” reporting in the case of Melissa Ramirez. In the video and subsequent interviews, Thomas claims a Facebook poster shared doctored images about Ramirez’s voting history, resulting in death threats to another woman who happened to have not only the same name, Melissa Ramirez, but also the same birthday, July 4, 1999. Thomas doesn’t name Blue Lives Matter or the Centinal as the source of the alleged misinformation, but she promises: “Melissa Esperanza Ramirez of Stamford … is not, and has never been, registered to vote in Connecticut.”
Gov. Ned Lamont issues a statement saying Ramirez was never issued a drivers license. He claims "misinformation pushed in a rush to advance a political agenda" has resulted in threats to an innocent New Britain woman and promises elections are secure.
July 31, 2026: The CT Mirror published an article at 10:29 a.m. which blames the Blue Lives Matter post and the Centinal as the “news outlets, armed with incorrect information.” It included an unredacted copy of the arrest warrant for Ramirez which contained the same driver’s license number that appeared on the voter address change card the Centinal obtained from the New Britain Registrar. Also note the birth country (MM), birth state (PB), and birth city (PB) on the arrest report represent Puebla, Mexico, according to DHS Province Codes.
The unredacted warrant lists 472 Long Ridge Road in Stamford, CT, as the address of the accused. It also states Ramirez was driving a vehicle registered to Mel Landscaping LLC located at the same address, 472 Long Ridge Road in Stamford.
The unredacted arrest warrant additionally states Danbury Officer Ray confirmed through NCIC/COLLECT that Melissa Ramirez had a valid driver’s license issued to a New Britain address — the same address listed on the voter address change card provided to the Centinal by the New Britain registrar.
Dan Haar pointed out in his Hearst / CT Insider article at 11:43 a.m. on July 31 that the Danbury Police warrant itself was “a likely source of the confusion” — because the warrant indicated that the same Melissa Ramirez lived in Stamford and previously in New Britain.
Haar asked Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour about the alleged errors in the warrant “and why the notice to the public didn’t own up to the discrepancy in the warrant.” The Chief told Haar, “There was a name and a date of birth given by this individual and when it was run (through a law enforcement database), the name and date of birth of the person in New Britain came up.”
Haar allegedly contacted the New Britain Ramirez based on internet search results. She told Haar how “stressful” and “scary” it was that “people have my address and my voting records out there, thinking that it’s someone else.”
August 1, 2026: Out of sincere concern for the New Britain Ramirez’s life, Adam 12 from Reese on the Radio filed a report with New Britain Police to request an investigation into the death threats to make sure Ramirez was safe. He was apparently the first person to register concerns about Ramirez’s safety with police. It is unclear why the Secretary of the State’s office did not immediately contact police after it first became aware of the death threats, but instead made a video and social media post attacking the media.
August 3, 2026: The Centinal contacted Danbury Police multiple times to request a corrected version of the arrest warrant in light of the police chief’s allegations that the signed warrant entered into court records contained multiple errors; the call has not yet been returned and the next court date is August 4. New Britain Police produced a copy of Adam 12’s complaint which revealed the Stamford Ramirez and the New Britain Ramirez are believed by NBPD to possibly be the same person. The Centinal filed a public records request with Danbury Police for body cam footage and other information.
August 4, 2026: Ramirez appeared in Danbury Superior Court. State’s Attorney Stacey Haupt Miranda stated during the proceeding that Ramirez did not have a driver’s license and indicated a new charge could potentially be added as a result. After court, Ramirez's brother insisted that Ramirez did have a valid drivers license.
August 5, 2026: Reese on the Radio interviews Governor Lamont who said it was "unprofessional for the press to jump to conclusions" based on information written directly in the warrant. Reese noted the warrant has yet to be corrected and pointed out that Lamont basically admitted Danbury Police were to blame for the alleged mistakes in the warrant. Lamont indicated he had "enough" of the "provocative questions" and suggested just checking the information.
August 5, 2026: New details emerge from New Britain Police after they reportedly locate the New Britain Ramirez in the Big Sky Gym and positively identified her with her driver’s license. Ramirez told police she was safe and not receiving death threats, directly contradicting statements made by SOTS Thomas and Gov. Lamont. Separately, the Centinal issued multiple FOI requests to get clarification on the mix-up with SOTS Thomas, Gov. Lamont, New Britain Police, and Danbury Police.
August 8, 2026: CT Centinal visits Fast Solutions Multiservices in Danbury where Ramirez registered her landscaping business. The owner confirmed that Ramirez used her Mexican passport to open the landscaping business. Separately, Ned Lamont denied knowing Ramirez when asked by the Centinal.
August 9, 2026: SOTS Thomas directly blames Danbury Police for a mistake in the warrant for the first time. She also sends a fundraising campaign letter based off lies generated by her office over the alleged Ramirez death threats. (See: SOTS Thomas Blames Danbury Police For Mistake In Ramirez Case, Uses Death Threats For Campaign Fundraiser Email.)
August 10, 2026: Wayne Allen Root tells President Trump about the deaths of Cooper Whiteside and Brittany Islami; Trump asks for all of the details.
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