MURDERED: Marina Ramos

Summary of MURDERED: Marina Ramos

by Audiochuck

49m•September 21, 2026
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Overview of MURDERED: Marina Ramos

This Crime Junkie episode from Audiochuck follows the long-cold murder of a woman found naked and brutally killed in the Arizona desert in 1989, later identified decades afterward as Marina Ramos. What makes the case especially haunting is that Marina’s two youngest daughters were also missing for years—only to be discovered alive in California shortly after her body was found. The episode centers on the 30+ year investigation, the breakthrough work of cold case detective Lori Miller, and the still-unsolved questions about who killed Marina, who left the girls at a park, and whether the same people were responsible for both events.

The Crime Scene in the Arizona Desert

Discovery

  • On December 12, 1989, four friends driving through remote northern Arizona stopped near a yucca tree to take a photo.
  • When they returned to the road, they realized what they had thought was a dead animal was actually the body of a naked woman lying in the desert.
  • Deputies determined she had been murdered on-site, likely 6–24 hours earlier.

Evidence Found

  • The victim suffered:
    • Blunt force trauma
    • Slash marks to the throat
    • Severe blood loss
  • Her clothing appeared to have been removed or cut off.
  • Investigators recovered:
    • Tire tracks
    • Drag marks
    • Two clear sets of shoe prints
    • A Coke bottle with partial fingerprints
    • A piece of bra strap
    • Unknown biological material from the autopsy

What the Scene Suggested

  • Investigators believed at least two people were involved.
  • Crime scene reconstruction indicated:
    • A vehicle drove into the area
    • The victim was dragged out and run over
    • Her throat was slashed
    • One suspect appears to have stepped away to use the bathroom
    • The vehicle then left the same way it came in

The Initial Investigation and Dead-End Leads

Early Victim Profile

  • The victim was initially described as:
    • A young Hispanic woman
    • Dark hair
    • Medium complexion
    • Someone who had recently given birth
    • Likely a mother of multiple children

Why the Case Stalled

  • No missing persons report matched her description.
  • Fingerprints and partial prints didn’t produce a usable ID in available databases.
  • The shoe and tire evidence was promising, but too generic without a suspect to compare against.

A Suspect Comes Into View: Joseph Michael Niesensen

  • FBI analysts saw similarities between this case and murders tied to Joseph Michael Niesensen in Washington and California.
  • He had:
    • A history of violent crime
    • Ties to Mojave County
    • A connection to a man named Henry Staub, who had lived in the area
  • However:
    • His prints did not match the partial prints from the scene
    • The lead eventually went nowhere
  • Today, investigators have ruled him out.

How the Case Went Cold

  • By September 1991, the case had gone completely cold.
  • For nearly 30 years, there was:
    • No victim name
    • No confirmed suspect
    • No clear family connection

The Cold Case Breakthrough

Lori Miller Reopens the File

  • In 2019, Mojave County created a special investigations unit.
  • Detective Lori Miller and her partner began digitizing old cold case files.
  • In 2021, Lori entered the Jane Doe’s prints into modern systems like NamUs and NCIC.

The Victim Is Identified

  • The fingerprints identified the victim as Maria Ortiz at first.
  • That name led Lori to a cousin in Tennessee, who clarified something critical:
    • The missing relative was actually Marina Ramos
    • Marina sometimes used other names, including Maria

Marina’s Background

  • Marina’s family explained:
    • She was from a Puerto Rican family connected to Bakersfield, California
    • She had a turbulent personal life
    • She had three daughters
    • Her two youngest girls were with her in 1989
  • Marina had last been seen in the Bakersfield area in August 1989 with a man named Fernando

The Two Missing Daughters

What Happened to the Girls?

  • Marina’s family had no idea her two youngest daughters were also missing.
  • In December 1989, just two days after Marina’s body was found, two little girls were discovered in a public restroom at Colonia Park in Oxnard, California.

The Park Drop-Off

  • Witnesses saw:
    • A small black pickup
    • A woman in a red skirt and white boots
    • Two men and a woman carrying children
  • The children were left unattended in the women’s restroom.
  • The girls were later adopted and grew up not knowing their biological family.

Why This Matters

  • The timing strongly suggests a possible connection between Marina’s murder and the abandonment of the children.
  • But investigators still do not know whether:
    • The same people were involved in both events
    • The girls were left by someone trying to protect them
    • The drop-off and murder were connected only indirectly

DNA and New Leads in 2023–2025

Confirming Marina’s Identity

  • In December 2022, DNA testing confirmed the Jane Doe was indeed Marina Ramos.
  • This gave Lori jurisdiction to treat the case as an active homicide investigation.

New Evidence

  • Re-testing of evidence produced:
    • A mixed DNA profile from unknown biological material
    • A male component strong enough for CODIS entry
  • No CODIS match has been found yet.

Finding the Daughters

  • Lori used DNA and missing persons systems to locate Marina’s daughters:
    • Tina Mangum was identified first
    • Melissa was later linked through additional DNA searching
  • Tina and Melissa were adopted as children and had long believed they were abandoned.

Emotional Impact

  • Tina was shocked to learn her biological mother had been murdered.
  • Melissa was more hesitant to dig into the past, but eventually connected with extended family.

The Ongoing Suspects and Mystery Figures

“Fernando David” / “Fernando Coronel”

  • Esther described the man Marina was last seen with:
    • Dark hair
    • Glasses
    • Suits
    • An accent
  • A composite sketch was made.
  • Investigators believe he may be someone known as:
    • Fernando David
    • possibly also Fernando Coronel
  • He has ties to Bakersfield and possibly Phoenix.

Another Fernando

  • A different man, the father of one of the girls, confirmed he had lived with Marina and her daughters.
  • He said Marina and the children disappeared after a possible family death and an alleged earthquake in Puerto Rico.
  • His story did not match the sketch, and his DNA/prints did not match the crime scene evidence.

The Victoria Garcia Lead

  • DNA from Melissa pointed to a possible paternal-side relative named Victoria Garcia on Ancestry.
  • But when contacted, Victoria blocked both Lori and Melissa.
  • Investigators suspect the profile may be fake or altered.

What the Case Likely Means Today

Strongest Working Theory

  • Marina likely left Bakersfield with one or more men she knew.
  • She was murdered in the Arizona desert.
  • Her daughters were left in California shortly afterward.
  • It is still unclear whether:
    • The murder and child abandonment were committed by the same person(s)
    • Marina was killed before or after the children were dropped off
    • The girls’ abandonment was an attempt to protect them or an act of disposal

What Still Doesn’t Fit

  • The crime scene vehicle was thought to be a mid-’80s sedan.
  • The park witness saw a small black pickup.
  • The timeline and locations make the case even more complicated.

Current Status and How the Public Can Help

What Lori Is Still Seeking

  • The true identity of Fernando David / Fernando Coronel
  • The woman behind the Victoria Garcia Ancestry profile
  • The identities of the man and woman seen dropping off the girls in Oxnard
  • Any information connecting Marina’s murder to her daughters’ abandonment

Why the Public Matters

  • The case now has names, DNA, and family context—but still lacks the final links.
  • Lori is actively asking for help from anyone who may recognize the people involved or know Marina’s movements in 1989.

Key Takeaways

  • Marina Ramos was murdered in a remote Arizona desert in late 1989.
  • Her identity was not confirmed until 2022, decades after her body was found.
  • Her two youngest daughters were left in a California park shortly after her murder and later adopted.
  • Investigators believe multiple people were involved, but no one has been charged.
  • The case remains open, with major unresolved questions about the killer, the daughters’ abandonment, and the identities of key suspects.