Ramona Irene Price was a child who went missing in 1961. Her photo is shown age-progressed to 66 years.
Case[]
Ramona was last seen around 11:00 a.m. on September 2, 1961, in Santa Barbara, California. Her family was moving, and she told her father that she was going to walk from their old home on Oak Avenue to their new home in Goleta, about 7 miles away. Her father, believing that she was joking, told her to do it. Her parents realized she was gone half an hour later.
Tracker dogs followed Ramona's scent for almost two miles down Modoc Road. They lost her trail near the 101 Freeway, which was under construction at the time.
A witness reported seeing a girl matching Ramona's description getting into a 1953 or 1954 faded blue Plymouth vehicle. The unidentified driver was described as a White male aged 30-40 with dark eyes and hair, a receding hairline, and thin features. He was wearing an open-collared sport shirt over a white undershirt.
Two brothers were originally suspects in Ramona's disappearance. The men, who were known sex offenders, stated that they had seen and spoken to Ramona while she was walking down Modoc Road. They denied being involved in her disappearance and are no longer considered suspects as they passed polygraph tests.
Serial killer Mack Ray Edwards has been a suspect in Ramona's disappearance since 2011. Edwards worked at the construction sight near where Ramona's scent was lost. Additionally, he was known to drive Plymouths and resembled the description of the driver of the vehicle Ramona may have entered. In 2011, 4 cadaver dogs indicated the odor of human remains near the 101 Freeway. An area of interest was excavated, but nothing was found.
In 1970, Edwards pleaded guilty to killing three children and also confessed to the murders of Roger Madison, Don Baker, and Brenda Howell, although he was not charged in the latter three cases as their remains were never found. Edwards is additionally a suspect in the cases of Tommy Bowman, Karen Tompkins, Bruce Kremen, and Dorthy Gale Brown. He died by suicide while on death row in 1971.
Characteristics[]
- Brown hair, cut in a pixie style at the time of her disappearance.
- Brown eyes.
Clothing[]
- Brown and white pullover sweater.
- Brown pants with fine pinstripes.
- Flip-flops.
Sources[]
- Ramona Price at the Doe Network
- Ramona Price at NCMEC
- Ramona Price at NamUs
- Ramona Price at the Charley Project
- Mack Ray Edwards on Wikipedia
- Santa Barbra Independent