Two infant girls vanished without a trace when their mother was brutally murdered in the Arizona desert 36 years ago. Now, cutting-edge forensic imaging may finally help solve one of the Southwest's most haunting cold cases.
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the organization has released the first-ever age-progressed images showing what Elizabeth and Jasmin Ramos might look like today—at ages 37 and 36. The breakthrough comes as investigators continue to piece together the final days of Marina Ramos, who was identified through DNA in 2022 after being found stabbed to death on Old Temple Bar Road in Mohave County, Arizona, on December 12, 1989.
A Murder in the Mojave
As reported by ABC15, the victim 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. The woman was ultimately found by tourists who were on their way to the Grand Canyon that same day, with the four women initially passing by thinking the victim was a dead animal before discovering it was a body.
With no cell phones available in 1989, according to ABC15, they had to drive to Kingman to alert law enforcement. When cops contacted Marina's family after her 2022 identification, they got shocking news: Marina had two baby girls—13-month-old Elizabeth and her 1-month-old sister, Jasmin.
The Breakthrough That Changed Everything
For over three decades, Marina Ramos remained a Jane Doe. Then, in 2022, investigator Lori Miller with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office resubmitted the victim's fingerprints using newly advanced FBI technology, as detailed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. This time, a match came back: Marina Ramos, a 28-year-old mother from California.
Miller told ABC15 she was able to contact a woman listed as a friend on police records. "I said, 'Do you know a Maria Ortiz,' and she said, 'No but I have a cousin that hasn't been seen since 1989,'" said Miller. DNA from family was used to confirm the victim's real identity.
Creating Images from Memory
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, creating these images was a challenge, since there is only one photo of Elizabeth and no known photos of Jasmin, who was only one month old when she vanished. NCMEC's forensic artists based both new age-progressed images on the single photo of Elizabeth, along with a photo of their mother, Marina.
As noted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, investigators believe Marina may have left the girls with someone she trusted. One theory investigators have: the girls were dropped off with someone and unknowingly raised under different identities.
A Family's Ongoing Hope
The family's focus has shifted to finding the two girls. Marina's sister told investigators she would like to meet them, expressing that even from a distance, seeing them would be like seeing part of her sister again. The emotional toll of the decades-long search continues to weigh on those who knew Marina.
According to 8 News Now, investigators encourage anyone who thinks they may be Ramos' daughters to visit GED Match or Family Tree DNA. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office is monitoring those sites, which already have DNA information from Ramos' family.
As investigators continue working to determine who killed Marina Ramos, they maintain hope that Elizabeth and Jasmin are still alive somewhere. Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact the Mohave County Sheriff's Office at 928-753-0753 extension 4408.
