Police Identify Remains Of Murdered California Woman After More Than 30 Years

Marina Ramos and her two young daughters disappeared from Bakersfield, California, in the late 1980’s. Meanwhile, on Dec. 12, 1989, the body of a naked woman was found off Old Temple Bar Road by the Arizona-Nevada border by four tourists, reported PEOPLE. The body was found in an area that was known to be a “dumping ground” for homicide victims at the time.

The Mohave County Sheriff's Office said the victim had multiple stab wounds and was found naked. She may have been raped prior to the murder, and she had apparently been killed where she was found. Detectives obtained a DNA profile from the body, but all attempts to identify her at the time failed.

That victim went unidentified for decades. However, thanks to advances in DNA technology, she was finally identified as Ramos in 2022. The whereabouts of her children, who were only two months and 14 months old at the time, remain unknown. Her daughters Elizabeth Lisa Ramos (born June 23, 1988) and Jasmin Maria Ramos (born June 15, 1989) would now be 34 and 33 years old.

According to MSN, Ramos and her children were last seen with a male, known only as “Fernando,” who is now a suspect in the murder. They released a sketch of him as they try to identify the man. He was possibly in his late thirties or early forties at the time. The four were seen driving in the man’s black SUV, and they were apparently going to Ontario, California, where “Fernando” lived.

Lori Miller, an investigator with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, told The Arizona Republic, "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."

Authorities want to hear from anybody with information about the murder. If you know anything about the crime or those involved, contact the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office at 928-753-0753, extension 4408.