KINGMAN — The Special Investigations Division of the Mojave County Sheriff’s Department is seeking information from the public about the 1989 unsolved murder.
On December 12, 1989, a female murder victim was located on Old Temple Bar Road off White Hills Road in Mojave County, about 50 miles south of Las Vegas. The victim was not clothed and was observed being stabbed multiple times, according to the MCSO press her release. The victim was apparently killed at the scene where she was.
All attempts to identify her or a suspect involved in her murder proved unsuccessful at that point. In February 2022, the SIU team obtained the victim’s fingerprints from the investigative case file and submitted them to her NamUs for investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The next day, SIU was informed that the print matched Maria Ortiz of Bakersfield, California. A follow-up investigation was conducted at the Bakersfield Police Department, which turned out to be a possible associate of Ortiz. She made a telephone contact with an associate, who revealed that she knew nothing about someone named Ortiz. The associate said she has a cousin identified as Marina Ramos, who has been missing since 1989.
In addition, Ramos’ two daughters (then 2 months and 14 months) were also missing. SIU investigators contacted another family member of the victim and agreed to provide her DNA sample for family comparison. In December 2022, SIU was notified that her DNA lineage matched the victim and her relatives, confirming her identity as Marina Ramos. Her date of birth was April 19, 1961.
Ramos was last seen in Bakersfield in August 1989 with his daughters Elizabeth Lisa Ramos, born June 23, 1988, and Jasmine Maria Ramos, born June 15, 1989. The four were seen driving in his black SUV to Ontario, Calif., where “Fernando” lived, according to law enforcement.
The MCSO is seeking all information regarding this incident. Attached is a composite sketch of the “Fernando” I’m trying to identify. Her two missing daughters, Elizabeth Ramos and Jasmine Ramos, are now 34 and she is 33.
Anyone with information about this incident, or the possible identities of those involved, is encouraged to contact the Mojave County Sheriff’s Office at extension 928-753-0753. 4408.
