Kevin Ramirez was 18. Cristian Contreras was 20. The two barbers were found shot to death inside Ramirez's apartment at the Atlantico at Aquabella complex off West 35th Way in Hialeah, and more than a year later, their families are still begging the public for answers, now backed by a $15,000 reward.
Hialeah police reported that the two men were discovered dead at the apartment complex on July 29, 2025, according to NBC 6 South Florida. Both men were found with gunshot wounds, police said. According to the Miami Herald, the bodies were discovered after one of Ramirez's clients arrived at the unit for a scheduled haircut.
Ramirez and Contreras were close friends who worked together as barbers at the Billionaire Barber shop, according to WSVN. Friend Brian Leon said Cris and Kevin were like brothers to him, adding that God had placed them in his life, per NBC 6's reporting. Leon said Contreras had become one of the most successful barbers his age in Miami within just three years, and that Kevin was on the same path.
A Trip to Colombia That Never Happened
The two men were set to travel to Colombia just two days after they were found dead, on what would have been Thursday, July 31, 2025. Leon had been scheduled to travel with them. NBC 6 and the station's earlier coverage both describe the pair as talented, up-and-coming barbers who had only started in the trade a few years earlier before being cut down just as their careers were taking off.
CBS News Miami reported that the victims' Instagram pages showed off their barbering work, underscoring how far along the two young men were in building their reputations. Hialeah Police Lt. Eddie Rodriguez told CBS News Miami that the motive remains unclear and that investigators have no suspects at this point, even after reviewing surveillance video from the scene.
Families Push $15,000 Reward as Case Remains Open
The investigation into Ramirez and Contreras's deaths remains active, and the reward for information leading to an arrest has climbed to $15,000 through Crime Stoppers, the Miami Herald reported. One earlier WSVN report had cited a possible reward of up to $5,000 through Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers, though more recent reporting from the Miami Herald and CBS News Miami cites the higher $15,000 figure. Detectives have not said whether there were signs of a struggle inside the apartment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. All tips submitted about the case remain anonymous, the Miami Herald noted.
The unsolved case comes amid a broader shift in the county's homicide numbers. According to Axios, the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office investigated 39 percent fewer homicides in the first three months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, handling 11 cases versus 18 the year before. The City of Miami, meanwhile, logged eight homicide cases in that same early-2025 window compared with nine during the first three months of 2024. The Sheriff's Office investigates homicides in 27 of Miami-Dade County's 35 municipalities and unincorporated areas, though that countywide data does not offer a direct comparison for Hialeah's own case totals.
For now, the families of Ramirez and Contreras are left waiting, holding onto a reward and the hope that someone who saw or heard something that July night will finally come forward.
