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Authorities are investigating whether a body recovered in the brush near Modjeska Canyon in Orange County is that of a 36-year-old Army veteran who has been missing since May 2.
The body was found Thursday afternoon near Santiago Canyon and Jackson Ranch roads, Lt. Dave Hill of the Orange Police Department told City News Service.
Investigators suspect it may be the body of Maribel Manriquez Ramos, who was last seen May 2. "No connection has yet been made between Ms. Ramos' disappearance and the body, and the investigation is continuing,'' Hill said late Thursday.
Ramos was expected to graduate later this month from Cal State Fullerton with a criminal justice degree, her sister Lucy Gonzalez told City News Service.
The last time Gonzalez heard from her sister was May 2, when she texted Ramos to ask her about a trip she had made to Chicago. "She didn't respond right away, but I know she went to work and they sent her home because she looked really tired,'' Gonzalez said of Ramos, who worked at the veterans center at Cal State Fullerton.
Ramos texted her sister at 5:48 p.m., saying she had gotten some sleep and promising to call later, Gonzalez said. That was the last she heard from her.
There has been no record of Ramos using her credit card since she disappeared. Her sister noted that it was unlike her to miss her usual commitments.
The last known sighting of Ramos was on security camera footage, which showed her alone outside her apartment around 8:30 p.m.
