MOHAVE COUNTY, AZ — The Mohave County Sheriff's Office is following up on new leads in a murder cold case from 1989.
The victim, a 28-year-old woman, was found stabbed and left naked in the middle of a desert road about 50 miles from Las Vegas and about 40 miles from Kingman, Arizona.
Investigators still working on the case told ABC15 it appeared she had been killed at the scene on an early December morning.
"The great mystery, once again daunting responsibility," said Mohave County Sheriff's Investigator Lori Mitchell to ABC15 in 2023.
The question of what happened to the 28-year-old woman and who killed her still weighs on Mitchell.
"She had no jewelry," said Mitchell. "She had nothing, that’s why she stayed a Jane Doe for so long."
The woman was left in the middle of the desert off Highway 93 decades ago, but Mitchell started looking into the case in 2021.
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"It was February of 2022 when I resubmitted fingerprints," said Mitchell.
That step ultimately helped identify the woman as Marina Ramos, but it also uncovered an even bigger mystery ABC15 first covered in 2023. As Mitchell spoke with the family, they asked what happened to Marina's two daughters.
"Nobody knew two little girls even existed," said Mitchell. "Come to find out, they were small. One a baby and one not much older, maybe a year older, named Elizabethand Jasmin.
The pair would now be 36 and 35 years old. They unknowingly went missing when their mom had been living in California. The family said Ramos was last spotted by family with a man named Fernando who had a black SUV.
Mitchell, in the last year, has been receiving tips on Fernando and his possible relationship with Ramos.
"I haven't been able to verify it, but there has been some mention that 'Fernando in the black SUV' might have been in fact a friend," said Mitchell.
But she still believes he may have valuable information that would fill in the gap of time, when the family doesn't know where Ramos was, from August 1989 to December 1989.
"If he is still alive, I would certainly just want to talk to him so he could fill in the blanks," said Mitchell.
As she works to find him, Mitchell has dealt with multiple challenges in the case as she attempts to work with county departments across state lines. Another hurdle is the lack of photos of the two girls.
Mitchell said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has been a valuable partner. Investigators told ABC15 NCMEC is using photos of Ramos to try and put together images that show what her daughters may look like.
But Mitchell has also been able to resubmit evidence found on Marina during her autopsy. ABC15 was told that evidence was scrapings from Ramos' stomach.
"The lab in Flagstaff was able to get a profile of an unidentified person, which has since been entered into CODIS," said Mitchell.
She told ABC15 there have been no matches in that DNA database yet, but there are still other threads to pull.
"I do have leads, which will take me out of Arizona," said Mitchell.
She tells ABC15, she can't provide too many details since the investigation remains ongoing, but there are ways people can help.
Mitchell encourages anyone who thinks they may be Ramos' daughters to visit GED Match or Family Tree DNA. ABC15 was told the MCSO is monitoring those sites, which already have DNA information from Ramos' family.
As Mitchell works to figure out who killed Ramos, she continues to believe Elizabeth and Jasmin are still alive somewhere.
"I believe that's one of the reasons that this case has remained relevant," said Mitchell.
She hopes one day part of the mystery will end with a reunion.
"There are two women out there who don't know, their family background and where they came from," said Mitchell.
Ramos' family has continued to stay in touch with Mitchell, but one of her key contacts recently passed away.
Investigators hope they can find the girls soon, so they can meet the rest of their family.
