California Teacher Hid Missing Teen for 2 Years

A public school teacher in California has been arrested for hiding a teenager, her son’s friend, for almost two years after he disappeared from his home.

Holga Castillo Olivares, 61, a teacher at the Alice Birney Waldorf-Inspired K-8 School in Sacramento, was charged with detention of a minor with intent to conceal from a parent, a felony, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor.

Olivares was accused of hiding 17-year-old Michael Ramirez in her home since the teen’s parents reported him missing on June 9, 2020, when he was 15.

Ramirez finally returned to his Rancho Cordova home on March 11, 2022, after he was last seen on May 18, 2020.

After running away from his home, Ramirez went to the house of Olivares, a teacher who also happened to be the mother of Ramirez’s teenage girlfriend, without their knowledge.

He spent two years living approximately 20 miles from his own house with Olivares and her family.

Ramirez’s family said, “He was staying at the home of a former friend, whose mother is Olivares. He had left home after a heated argument with his family.”

“He felt like the grass was greener on the other side,” said Katie Smith, Ramirez’s guardian. “We felt robbed of all this time with him. You can’t just hide someone’s kid and think that it is okay.”

According to Ramirez’s aunt, Olivares misled police when asked about the boy’s whereabouts. In May of this year, Michael unexpectedly visited his aunt and uncle’s house and requested to move back in.

When he revealed where he had been staying, they were furious but also relieved to welcome him home.

The Sacramento City Unified School District said, “The charges against Olivares, who was put on administrative leave, are for acts unrelated to the employee’s assigned duties. The teacher was taken into custody at the school after students were dismissed for the day.”

Olivares was due to go before a judge in court on Monday.