ORTONVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) — After missing for weeks, the body of a missing woman was found buried in someone’s yard.
Police say 30-year old Renata Fernandez-Ramon had been missing since early October. Investigators say her family left the country just one day after she went missing.
Police found her body after a homeowner reported a freshly dug area on his property in Ortonville, which is about three hours west of the Twin Cities, near the South Dakota border.
At first, it was the news of a missing woman that riveted the town of about 2,000 people.
“There have been a lot of rumors going around,” said Ortonville resident Joni Cole.
When they learned Fernandez-Ramon’s body was found buried nearby, they were in disbelief.
“People are really shocked because it’s a small town and that usually does not happen out here,” said Ortonville resident Melanie Rheaume. “I don’t think there’s been very many murders at all.”
Collegues said Fernandez-Ramon’s worked at the Monarch Heights Disability Services Center about a year ago.
“I was shocked that she was gone,” said director of staff Chad Karels. He described her as friendly.
“She would say hello to you on the street,” Karels said.
He said Fernandez-Ramon was great to work with but kept to herself.
“A lot of people didn’t know her,” he said.
Karels said he’s left with questions, like why did it have to happen.
Fernandez-Ramon has two children: 10 and 8 years old. Members of the community say it’s one of the many reasons this is so disconcerting.
“Very sad, because her kids are going to grow up without her,” Cole said.
“No mom now, the kids lost their mother– that’s terrible,” Rheaume said.
Although at this point, police aren’t saying where exactly the body was discovered, people in town pointed to a farm just outside of town. When WCCO-TV asked, the owner of the farm declined to comment.
Police say Fernandez-Ramon’s boyfriend moved to Mexico with the couple’s two children the day after she went missing.
Police aren’t saying if he’s a suspect in the case — but they do say there is no threat to the public. The cause of her death is still under investigation.
