MOHAVE COUNTY, AZ — Multiple major discoveries in a Mohave County cold case all led to a special reunion decades in the making.
One of the daughters of a murder victim was able to be reunited with her biological family, after years of being considered missing.
In 2025, ABC15 broke the story about how the daughters of Marina Ramos were found alive decades after the death of their mom. The women, who were unknowingly missing as babies back in 1989, said they had no idea their mom was killed in Mohave County in Arizona.
Arizona Crime Uncovered is an ABC15 series dedicated to raising awareness for victims still waiting for justice and providing an in-depth look at ongoing cases.
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The two girls, Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos, were found in a Southern California park days after Marina Ramos was found dead in Arizona. A family later adopted both girls.
At the time, law enforcement in both states didn’t know there was any connection between the two cases.
A special reunion took place in Puerto Rico, where some of Marina’s family lives. Elizabeth Ramos, whose adoptive name is Melissa, able to make the trip.
Months later, our team was there as relatives also traveled to Arizona to meet the investigator who never gave up.
DEAD IN THE DESERT
ABC15 has closely followed this case for years, first sitting down with Mohave County Sheriff's Office investigator Lori Miller in 2023.
Miller was finally able to identify Marina Ramos' body in 2023. The 28-year-old was buried as a "Jane Doe" after she was stabbed and left in the desert in mid-December 1989.
When Miller made contact with her family, the investigator discovered Marina Ramos' daughters had also been missing ever since.
The young mom was from the Bakersfield area, and family said they had tried to search for her. According to loved ones, Marina Ramos had a tendency to want independence and was overly trusting.
MCSO worked with her family, discovering she had an older, third daughter who had grown up with her grandparents. MCSO used a DNA sample from her to search multiple genetic genealogy databases.
Miller worked first with forensic genetic genealogists and then started the process of tracking down the woman who came back as a match. The 36-year-old was ultimately identified as Jasmin Ramos, whose adoptive name was Tina.
MCSO was then able to connect with her older sister, later identified as Elizabeth Ramos, for further testing.
Through police reports and past news coverage, Miller traced the girls back to the park where they were left. Both women are now in their 30s.
“It's weird to be someone who's had a parent murdered, you know and not knowing that person,” Melissa said.
The sisters were ultimately adopted together but now live states apart. Tina told ABC15 she always wondered about her biological family.
PRAYING FOR ANSWERS
Months after the women were found, Melissa visited Puerto Rico to meet her half-sister, Maria Maldonado Ramos, who gave investigators the genetic sample that helped break the case.
She was also able to meet an aunt, Margarita Maldonado.
“I got up and gave her a hug and just tell her, you know, 'I'm sorry for everything she went through,'” Maldonado said. “But she knows we're family.”
Pictures from the FBI capture the tearful reunion.
“I was, same, nervous but excited, too, you know,” Melissa said. “And just really grateful that I had that opportunity to meet my biological sister and grandma.”
This summer, members of Marina’s family also made a trip to Arizona to visit her headstone and meet the investigator who never gave up.
It was the first time Maldonado met Miller in person. The pair had spoken over the phone multiple times, including when the girls were found. It was an emotional meeting that also gave MCSO a chance to go over the case with family.
“I think it’s a group of people that all hung out together, because I don’t believe that a person who could murder could then show compassion and leave two little girls in the park for people to find,” Miller said.
On that trip, family gave ABC15 permission to come to the cemetery and visit Marina Ramos' headstone.
“I don’t know why they do these things. I was starting to think it was only on TV, but it’s not. It’s real life,” Maldonado said through tears.
One day after the trip to Arizona, Maldonado learned Marina’s older daughter, Maldonado Ramos, had died. Several key family members, including a cousin close with the Marina Ramos, have died as MCSO continues to investigate the case.
SEARCHING FOR THE KILLER
Even though Miller found the two girls, the search for answers in Marina Ramos' death is not over.
Back in 1989, people reported they saw a woman and two men at Colonia Park in Oxnard, California, with Melissa and Tina. The city, about 400 miles away from where Marina Ramos was found, sits between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.
"They actually had a witness come forward and say she saw a female — Hispanic, about 5 feet tall — and two male Hispanics get out of a black mini-pickup somewhere in the neighborhood alongside the park, and saw them in the park," Miller said. "She saw that the youngest was wrapped in a yellow blanket, and she lost track of them."
The two girls were ultimately found in a bathroom at the park.
The witness told investigators the woman she saw was wearing a long red skirt and white boots.
Miller strongly believes the three people seen with the children were "indirectly or directly" involved in their mother's death.
It's not the only thread Miller is pulling on in this case.
MCSO said Marina Ramos' daughters have different fathers. Miller is now hoping to speak with a woman by the name of Victoria Garcia who is an important part of Melissa’s family tree.
After one of ABC15’s stories, Miller also received a tip about a sketch MCSO released in the case of a man the family says was one of the last people spotted with Marina Ramos back in 1989.
Miller believes he could be someone named David, who may have gone by Fernando Coronel. She believes he was from the Bakersfield area but may have later lived in Phoenix and worked at a hospital.
She’s hoping to talk to him and anyone else who may have information about the case. Miller believes someone in Arizona or California knows something about what happened to Marina Ramos.
MCSO has also developed a DNA profile, from evidence recovered at the scene. They believe it belongs to a suspect, and investigators are hoping to one day find the match.
If you have information on this case or any others you can call MCSO at 928-753-0753, ext. 4408.
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