Mohave County Sheriff Searching For Suspect And Victim’s Two Young Children From 1989 Case

If you know anything about this case, the Mohave County Sheriff would like for you to contact them directly: 928-753-0753 ext. 4408.

February 22, 2023
Authorities have released a sketch of the man wanted in connection with the 1989 killing of Marina Ramos in Mohave County.

Police are hoping to locate the suspect in the 1989 murder of a woman — as well as her two children who were reportedly with her at the time.

Photo by: Mohave County Sheriff's Office

Mohave County Sheriff's Office

By: Crimefeed Contributor

Police are hoping to locate the suspect in the 1989 murder of a woman — as well as her two children who were reportedly with her at the time.

It was just outside Las Vegas, Nevada in December 1989 when a woman's unclothed body was found on the side of the road. The victim was identified as a female. She was murdered, left for dead, and years have gone by without answers as to who killed her.

Since then, authorities have been working on this case. Not only have they had success with positively identifying the woman, but they say they also learned she was last seen alive with her two small children. Those children have not been found, according to authorities, but there is new information on their names and ages.

According to the Mohave County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, the victim is Marina Ramos and at the time of her murder, her children were only 2-months-old and 14-months old. The family was from Bakersfield, California. Investigators say the children are identified as Elizabeth Lisa Ramos, who was born on June 23, 1988 (she would be 34 today) and Jasmin Maria Ramos, born on June 15, 1989 (she would be 33 today).

As for Marina, the release says she was stabbed multiple times, she wasn't wearing any clothing and she was dumped 50 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada in Arizona on the Old Temple Bar Road. This is an area near White Hills Road, investigators added. Marina was born on April 19, 1961 and detectives were able to make this positive match after taking a DNA sample from a family member.

Finding the family member was not an easy task. Marina was first identified in the NamUS system as “Maria Ortiz.” An associate tracked down by detectives said they did not know a “Maria” but they did have a cousin named Marina who vanished in 1989 and she had two small babies.

Investigators with the sheriff's office said they learned Marina had contact and was last known to spend time with a man known as "Fernando." It's possible "Fernando" had connections and may have lived in Ontario, California. The children, Maria, and Fernando were last seen in a black SUV. He was possibly in his late 30’s to 40’s at the time of the incident, AZ Central reports.

AZ Central spoke to Investigator Lori Miller with the Mohave Sheriff’s Office. She said, "The family would like to know what happened to those two little girls. The hope is that they were just raised by somebody else, that they are still alive and thriving somewhere."

If you know anything about the whereabouts of the suspect or the children, the Mohave County Sheriff would like for you to contact them directly: 928-753-0753 ext. 4408.

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