Julio Habraham Raymundo Ramos, a 15-year-old 10th-grade student at Dover High School, died by suicide at home on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. The Guatemala-born teenager, remembered for his love of music and his warmth toward friends, will be laid to rest in his home country after a funeral Mass scheduled for Saturday, October 31.
Julio was born on March 12, 2011, in Nebaj, Quiché, Guatemala, according to his obituary published on legacy.com. He moved to the United States at age 12, and his family later moved to Tuscarawas County. Those who knew him remember a boy who loved dancing and playing the piano, and who began singing at just seven years old — interests his family says connected him to his Catholic faith through music, along with his enjoyment of basketball, churrasco and bottled water.
Calling hours for Julio are set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on October 31 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Dover, with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at noon, per the same obituary. Afterward, Julio is scheduled to be buried at the Cementerio General de Nebaj in Guatemala, returning him to the homeland where he was born.
A Second Loss for Dover Students in Six Weeks
Julio's death came roughly five weeks after Nathan M. Beachy, another 15-year-old Dover freshman, died by suicide on September 15, 2026, according to reporting from the Akron Beacon Journal. In a letter sent to families on October 22, Dover City Schools Superintendent Karie McCrate wrote that the district had experienced overwhelming loss over the past six weeks, as reported by the Beacon Journal.
McCrate has committed to holding small-group forums where families can discuss student support programming and share ideas, the newspaper reported. School counselors have been meeting with students, and the district has brought in additional mental health and faith-based counselors along with therapy dogs from Claymont and Tusky Valley, according to the same report.
At St. Joseph's, Rev. Enrique Alvarado — the parish's pastor, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico — held a Eucharistic ceremony on October 22 and, at Principal Brooke Grafe's request, spoke directly with students. He reassured them and Julio's family that the teen's death was not their fault, and he told the Beacon Journal that Julio's friends described him as happy and friendly, with none reporting that he had expressed sadness beforehand. Julio had sent messages to friends before his death, the paper noted. Alvarado also visited Julio's family, prayed with them and blessed their home.
Fear in the Hispanic Community Amid Reports of ICE Activity
The Beacon Journal reported that Hispanic residents in Dover and New Philadelphia said they were scared because immigration agents had been active in the area. A Facebook page called Noticias de la Comunidad, which informs the county's Spanish-speaking community, posted notice of ICE detentions in Dover and New Philadelphia on October 17, and posted additional notices about ICE activity on October 20 and October 23, according to the Beacon Journal's reporting. A group called Comunidad Sol reported in an Instagram post that ICE detained three people of Maya descent on October 17, though the Beacon Journal said it could not independently verify that report.
A community activist, in Facebook posts informed by Julio's family and community members, attributed his distress to racist bullying at school and ICE activity, the Beacon Journal reported. ICE did not reply to the Beacon Journal's questions about its activity in Tuscarawas County.
County's Hispanic Population Has Grown Sharply
Tuscarawas County's Hispanic community grew from fewer than 1,000 people in 2010 to roughly 4,400 in 2024, based on U.S. Census and Federal Reserve data cited by the Beacon Journal, in a county with a total population of about 92,300 in 2025. Statewide, federal data obtained by the Deportation Data Project through a public-records request and reported by NBC4i showed 4,859 ICE arrests in Ohio from January 2025 through March 2026, with 84% of those arrested never convicted of a felony crime. ICE disputed the accuracy of that analysis, telling NBC4i, “The bottom line is that the Deportation Data Project is not accurate.”
A County Already Grappling With Rising Suicide Rates
Julio's death also lands amid a broader, years-long concern among Tuscarawas County health officials, who have said they are alarmed by an increase in suicides among residents and have been taking steps to curb the trend, according to the Times Reporter. The county recorded 18 suicide deaths among residents in 2025, down from 21 in 2024, according to yourohionews.com. As of March 2025, the county's suicide rate stood at 22.9 deaths per 100,000 residents, well above Ohio's statewide rate of 15.5 per 100,000, the outlet reported.
Of the county's 2025 suicide deaths, 17 involved males and one involved a female, and 72% occurred among people age 50 and older, per yourohionews.com's report. Officials identified recent domestic or relationship-related challenges in 39% of those cases and a recent serious or declining health diagnosis in 28%. Those figures largely describe an older population, underscoring how unusual and devastating the deaths of two 15-year-old freshmen have been for the Dover school community this fall.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, reach the Crisis Text Line by texting 741741, or call 911 in an emergency.
