Daughters identified decades after mother found dead in Arizona desert

Two sisters who lived for decades under unknown identities have finally been identified as Jasmin Ramos and Elizabeth Ramos, the daughters of Marina Ramos. Marina, 28, was found fatally stabbed in the Mohave Desert in Arizona on Dec. 12, 1989. The body was discovered in a remote stretch of the desert, and her daughters — then 2 months and 14 months old — were later found abandoned in a public park restroom in California two days after their mother’s death. At the time, the infants’ names were not known, and the case remained unsolved for decades.

The girls were later adopted together and grew up in Ventura County under the names Tina and Melissa. It was not until a case reopened in 2022 that investigators connected the dots between Marina Ramos’s identity and the two girls, who had been living with adoptive families for years.

In February 2022, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office reopened the homicide case and pursued new leads. Investigators matched fingerprints from Marina Ramos’s June 1989 shoplifting arrest in Bakersfield to her body in the desert. Subsequent DNA work, including swabs from family members, produced a high-confidence match to one of Marina Ramos’s now-adult daughters, establishing the sisters as her children. The sisters, now known as Tina and Melissa, were identified as Jasmin and Elizabeth Ramos through the investigative process.

Tina (formerly Jasmin) and Melissa (formerly Elizabeth) were contacted by sheriff’s office investigators about the identification. They described a sense of shock and relief at learning the truth about their origins and family history, and they have begun processing the revelation in the context of a case that had remained unsolved for decades.

The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office stressed that while one part of the case has been solved, no suspect has been identified in Marina Ramos’s homicide, and the investigation remains active. A sheriff’s statement said investigators are continuing to pursue potential leads about the individuals who were seen with the two girls at the park before they were found, including two Hispanic males and a Hispanic woman.

Witnesses at the park had described seeing two Hispanic men and a Hispanic woman with the two girls prior to the discovery. The nature of those sightings remains part of the ongoing review as authorities work to determine what happened in the days surrounding Marina Ramos’s death.

The identification of the sisters provides a clearer personal link to Marina Ramos’s life and death, but it does not close the homicide investigation. The sheriff’s office said the search for the suspects involved in Marina Ramos’s murder continues, and authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Jasmin Ramos, who uses the name Tina, told local reporters that learning her true family history matters deeply to her sense of identity. Elizabeth Ramos, who now goes by Melissa, said the revelation came with a rush of emotions and a need to understand the circumstances that led to her mother’s death and her own early life.

The case’s progress demonstrates how advances in forensic science and renewed case reviews can bring long-sought answers to families and law enforcement alike, even decades after the events occurred. The sisters’ adoption history and upbringing in Ventura County highlight the complex pathways through which unidentified children can become part of new families while their birth stories remain unresolved in public records.

As investigators continue to pursue leads regarding who was with Marina Ramos when she died and who killed her, they cautioned that identifying the victims and their family connections is only one step toward solving the homicide. The department reiterated its commitment to pursuing justice for Marina Ramos and the two girls, whose futures are now tied to a mother who died decades ago and to the ongoing search for the people responsible for her death.

The investigation emphasizes the importance of cross-jurisdiction cooperation—between Mohave County in Arizona and agencies in California—and illustrates how modern DNA techniques can redraw the contours of a case once thought closed.