Napa man charged with murder for body found under bridge

(KRON) — Murder charges were filed on Tuesday against Ramiro Ochoa Mendoza, 36, of Napa in connection with the discovery of a body under the Third Street Bridge, announced prosecutors.

The Napa County District Attorney’s Office said Mendoza killed Noel Batres, 36, also of Napa, and left his body beneath the bridge. Authorities said they discovered Batres on the banks of the Napa River at Soscol Avenue, on the afternoon of July 3.

Prosecutors said Mendoza faced several criminal charges in Napa County earlier this year. He was arrested on April 25 for violating a restraining order, violating his post-release community supervision and resisting arrest. The Napa County Superior Court had raised concerns about Mendoza’s mental health competency to stand trial and ordered doctors’ evaluations who concluded he was not competent, said the D.A.’s office.

“Mendoza promptly failed to appear in court for his mental health diversion review and was
found to be out of compliance with the diversion program. Because the law prohibits
prosecution from continuing in cases where a defendant is deemed incompetent on only
misdemeanor charges, the court had no choice but to dismiss both remaining cases and did so
on July 8, 2025,” said the D.A.’s office. “Three days after his court no-show and the dismissal of his two misdemeanor charges, on July 11, 2025, Mendoza was taken into custody by Napa Police officers and charged with the murder of Mr. Batres.”

A GoFundMe has been established to help send Batres’ remains to his home country of Guatemala. Batres had lived in Napa for 26 years.

“This case highlights the real-world impact of the recent legal reforms, where
courts are required to prioritize mental health treatment over traditional prosecution, even
when defendants exhibit an unwillingness or inability to comply with court-ordered programs,” added Napa County Deputy District Attorney Katie Susemihl.