Nearly three years after Angel Gomez was gunned down outside a home on Pepperwood Court in West Columbus, the man police say ambushed her remains missing, and investigators now warn he should be considered armed and dangerous. Jose Antonio Gomez-Santana, 52, allegedly lured his estranged wife back to the property to collect her belongings before hiding inside his car and opening fire when she arrived.
According to NBC4 WCMH-TV, Columbus police say Gomez-Santana and Gomez were experiencing marital problems and separation in the weeks before the shooting. Police say he convinced her to return to the Westland-area home near Galloway Road under the pretense of retrieving her things, then waited inside his vehicle before ambushing her with gunfire and fleeing the scene. Officers arrived shortly afterward to find her shot several times.
Columbus police reported that Gomez was shot at the Pepperwood Court home, and a Columbus Division of Police media bulletin further details that officers were dispatched to the address at 3:09 p.m. on September 25, 2023, finding her suffering from gunshot wounds. Columbus Division of Fire Medic 26 pronounced her dead at the scene at 3:21 p.m., under incident report number 230749043, according to the bulletin.
A Family Already Reeling From Loss
Gomez, a local hairstylist, had already endured devastating losses in the months before her death. She lost her father in March 2023 and her son in a fatal motorcycle crash that August, according to 10TV WBNS. Weeks later, she was killed in the shooting outside her own home.
By January 2025, more than a year after the killing, Gomez's 17-year-old daughter Sipriana Garcia described growing frustration and constant paranoia over her stepfather remaining free, the station reported. Columbus Police Sgt. James Fuqua confirmed at the time that investigators continued working with federal and regional partner agencies to try to locate him, per the same account.
Ties to New York and Puerto Rico
Columbus police believe Gomez-Santana has ties to the west side of Columbus, but investigators also say he has connections to New York and Puerto Rico, raising the possibility he fled the region entirely. Central Ohio Crime Stoppers describes him as armed and dangerous and is offering a cash reward for information leading to his arrest or indictment, with tips accepted through stopcrime.org or by phone at 614-461-8477.
Police records describe Gomez-Santana, born December 9, 1973, as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes and unshaven facial hair. Investigators say he may be harbored or hidden by family and friends, a warning that carries real legal weight. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2921.32, purposely assisting or harboring a wanted suspect to prevent their discovery or apprehension constitutes obstructing justice, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 36 months in prison when the underlying crime is murder or a first-degree felony.
Gomez-Santana remains charged with murder but has not been convicted or sentenced.
Case Sits Amid Shifting Homicide Trends
The Columbus Division of Police Homicide Cold Case Unit still lists Gomez's case under File Number 2023-0117, with lead Detective Ronald Lemmon reachable at 614-645-2558 for anyone with information. Her killing happened during 2023. Columbus ended 2025 with just over 80 homicides, according to WOSU.
Even as the citywide total has dropped, domestic violence and interpersonal disputes have remained a stubborn driver of fatal violence. WOSU reported on homicide trends through mid-2026.
For Gomez's family, none of those broader statistics change the reality that her case remains open and her accused killer remains unaccounted for. Anyone with information on Gomez-Santana's whereabouts is asked to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers or Columbus police's Homicide Cold Case Unit.
