Mother Identified Decades After Being Murdered in Arizona Desert, but Her Daughters Remain Missing

Marina Ramos and her daughters, Elizabeth and Jasmin, were last seen in 1989 with a man named Fernando.

Marina Ramos / ABC 15

On December 12, 1989, four female tourists traveling along Old Temple Bar Road in Mohave County, Arizona, spotted what appeared to be a dead animal in the middle of the desert. As the group got closer, they realized it was the body of an unclothed woman who had been stabbed multiple times.

The women, who had been en route to the Grand Canyon, drove 40 miles to Kingman to alert the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators believe the victim was killed at the scene less than 24 hours earlier. She may have been sexually assaulted, and male DNA was recovered from her body. At the time, authorities considered the area where the body was found a “dumping ground” for murder victims.

Based on footprints, tire tracks, and small pieces of clothing found at the scene, police believe two perpetrators were involved. According to investigator Lori Miller,

“They surmise it was two suspects, one between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 foot, 2 inches, the other one was between 5 foot, 4 inches and 5 foot, 8 inches.”