California sisters located alive 36 years after their disappearance.

In a remarkable turn of events nearly 36 years after their disappearance, two sisters have been located living in California. The case dates back to December 12, 1989, when their mother, Marina Ramos, was tragically discovered in a remote area of the Mohave Desert in Arizona, deceased from fatal stab wounds. At the time, her identity remained a mystery, leading authorities to refer to her as Jane Doe for decades, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.

Shortly after their mother’s murder, authorities found the sisters, Jasmin and Elizabeth Ramos, abandoned in a restroom at a public park in Oxnard, California. At just two months and 14 months old, the siblings were too young to provide any information that might have linked them to their mother’s tragic fate. A passerby had reported hearing the sound of children crying, prompting them to seek assistance from a woman nearby, who subsequently discovered the girls lying alone on the restroom floor.

The sisters were later adopted by a couple in Ventura County and raised together in a nurturing environment. However, as the years passed, the investigation into their mother’s death grew cold. In February 2022, a revitalization of the case occurred when detectives submitted fingerprints from the unidentified victim to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). This effort yielded a connection to Maria Ortiz, an individual who had been arrested and fingerprinted by authorities in Kern County in June 1989.

Investigators then reached out to individuals who might have known Ortiz and successfully contacted her cousin. This led to the critical revelation that Maria Ortiz was, in fact, an alias for Marina Ramos. Further inquiries uncovered that Ortiz had two daughters, both of whom had also been missing since her disappearance.

Subsequent DNA testing allowed law enforcement officials to locate and confirm the identities of Jasmin and Elizabeth Ramos, marking a significant milestone in a case that has baffled authorities for decades. The focus of the investigation has since shifted to solving the murder of Marina Ramos. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office has stated that efforts to capture the individuals responsible for her homicide are ongoing, underscoring the relentless pursuit of justice for a family torn apart by tragedy.