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The family of a woman from Orange who has been missing for nearly a week are asking for the public's help to find her.
The last known sighting of Maribel Manriquez Ramos was on security camera footage, which showed her alone outside her apartment around 8:30 p.m. last Thursday.
According to City News Service, the 36-year-old was about to graduate from Cal State University, Fullerton, with a degree in criminal justice. She had also served two tours of duty in Iraq and spent another year in Korea.
Ramos had just returned from a trip to Chicago, where she participated in a panel discussion on veterans transitioning to civilian life and higher education.
Ramos's sister, Lucy Gonzalez, stated that she had texted Ramos to ask her how the trip went, but wasn't concerned when she didn't respond immediately as she was aware she had been sent home from her job at the veterans center at the university because she appeared jet lagged. At 5.48 p.m. Ramos texted Gonzalez to say she had managed to get some sleep and that she would call her later. That was the last time any family member heard from her.
She missed a softball game on Friday and was also due to take part at a veterans' appreciation night at the campus.
Family members say it's unlike Ramos to walk away from her commitments and her life. She left her dog and her car, and since her disappearance there has been no activity on her cellphone or credit cards.
Gonzalez also noted that Ramos was dating someone she met a couple of months ago, adding, "It looked promising. They liked each other."
As reported by KABC, for the past 18 months Ramos has lived with her roommate, K.C. Joy, who has been questioned by police several times since her disappearance. He has also given a DNA test, handed over his cellphone to them and allowed them to take photos of him. He apparently told a neighbor that he left the apartment to go for a walk and when he returned Ramos was not there. He also stated, "I called about three times that day, reported missing. Something is not right."
Gonzalez is begging for help in locating her sister: "I need people to help me find her. I don't have any leads unless someone calls with something here or something there. It's like I don't know where she is… Nothing at all makes sense."
A Find Maribel Ramos Facebook page has also been set up to help get the word out about Ramos' disappearance.
Sergeant Fred Lopez of the Orange Police Department told us today there's still no news of Maribel's whereabouts: "Nothing has changed at this time… We're still looking for her."
Ramos is described as a Hispanic woman, 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds and with brown shoulder-length hair. She has a tattoo of a star on her left shoulder and an Aztec/tribal symbol on her lower back.
Anyone with any knowledge of Ramos's whereabouts is urged to call Detective Joey Ramirez of the Orange Police Department at (714) 744-7444.
