MURDERED: Marina Ramos
In 1989, a woman is found brutally murdered in Mohave County, Arizona. Decades later, a detective identifies her as Marina Ramos, and discovers that her two young children disappeared with her. Several pieces of this tangled mystery have since been solved, but the biggest question remains: Who murdered Marina Ramos?
Marina Ramos
Courtesy: Margarita Maldonado
Marina Ramos
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A piece of a bra strap found at the crime scene
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
An empty Coke bottle found at the crime scene.
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A long piece of black yarn found at the crime scene
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A size 10 ½ Nike shoe print found at the scene
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
Multiple shoe prints photographed in the sand at the crime scene.
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
The tire tracks found at the crime scene
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A diagram showing evidence and the suspected movements of the vehicle at the crime scene.
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
Composite sketch of Fernando-David, the man that Marina Ramos’ cousin recalled seeing with Marina before her disappearance.
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A poster created in an effort to identify the two young girls found abandoned at Colonia Park in Oxnard, California.
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A newspaper clipping reporting the discovery of two young girls abandoned at Colonia Park in Oxnard, California, in December 1989.
Courtesy: Hearst Communications, Inc.
A childhood photo of Melissa and Tina
Courtesy: Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
A childhood photo of Tina and Melissa
Courtesy: Melissa Nava
Melissa (right) with her oldest sister Maria (left)
Courtesy: Melissa Nava
Timeline:
Marina Ramos is arrested for shoplifting in Bakersfield, California. One of her daughters is born while Marina is in custody.
Marina is last seen by her cousin Esther leaving the Bakersfield area with her two youngest daughters and a man known as Fernando.
Marina’s unidentified body is discovered on a dirt road in northern Arizona. Investigators determine she was murdered at the scene six to 24 hours earlier.
2:15 p.m
Marina’s two youngest daughters are found abandoned in a women’s restroom at Colonia Park in Oxnard, California. They are eventually adopted.
With Marina still unidentified and no suspect identified, the case goes cold.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office forms a cold case unit that begins reviewing the 1989 Jane Doe case.
Investigator Lori Miller uses the victim’s fingerprints to identify her as Maria Ortiz, which ultimately leads investigators to Marina Ramos’ family.
DNA confirms the unidentified victim is Marina Ramos. Investigators reopen Marina’s homicide investigation and file missing-person reports for her daughters, Elizabeth and Jasmin.
Investigators obtain enhanced fingerprints from the Coke bottle found near Marina’s body and enter them into AFIS.
DNA leads investigators to Tina Mangum and her sister, Melissa, confirming Marina’s missing daughters survived and were the girls found at Colonia Park in 1989.
Highway 93, Arizona
Where Marina’s body was discovered about 3 miles down a dirt road east of Highway 93 in northern Arizona.
Bakersfield, California
Where Marina and her family were living in 1989. Her cousin Esther last saw Marina and her two youngest daughters here before they left with a man named Fernando.
Ontario, California
Esther remembers Marina, her daughters and Fernando leaving Bakersfield in a black SUV headed toward Ontario, where she believed Fernando lived.
Colonia Park, Oxnard, California
Where Marina’s two youngest daughters were found abandoned in the women’s restroom.
Tips:
If you know anything about the murder of Marina Ramos, please call the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Unit at (928) 753-0753, extension 4408.
We’d love to speak with you and see how we can support.
If you’re a law enforcement agency or family member of one of the people we mentioned in this episode, or if you’re looking for more coverage on a case, please reach out. You can email us at:
Episode Source Material
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Original reporting by Emily Mieure
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Photos/reports provided by Mohave County Sheriff’s Office
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Photos provided by Marina’s family members
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Daborowski, Karen. “Mystery in Mohave: Mom Murdered, Two Babies Missing.” NCMEC, 7 Aug. 2025, https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2025/mystery-in-mohave-mom-murdered-two-babies-missing. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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Gonzalez, Jose R. “Slain Woman Found in 1989 Mohave County Cold Case Identified, Person of Interest Sought.” The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-breaking/2023/02/14/slain-woman-found-in-1989-mohave-county-idd-person-of-interest-sought/69902942007/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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Holden, Ashley. “UNSOLVED: The Murder of Marina Ramos and the Search for Her Two Missing Daughters.” ABC15, 13 May 2023, https://www.abc15.com/news/crime/unsolved-the-murder-of-marina-ramos-and-the-search-for-her-two-missing-daughters. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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Segura, Daniella. “Girls Found Abandoned in 1989 ID’d as Missing Daughters of Slain Woman, AZ Cops Say.” The Sacramento Bee, 23 Sept. 2025, https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article312228649.html. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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Smith, Fred. “4th Body Found near Kingman.” Arizona Republic, 14 Dec. 1989. Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/118449343. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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“Woman Killed near Las Vegas in 1989 Identified, Her Children Remain Missing.” KLAS 8 News Now, 14 Feb. 2023, https://www.8newsnow.com/crime/woman-killed-near-las-vegas-in-1989-identified-her-children-remain-missing/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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