Account
Mar 01, 2023
May 17, 2023
Ramona
Brown
43
3
32 inches
37 inches
26 lbs
30 lbs
Black / African American
Female
In the early morning hours of March 6, 1984, a devastating fire broke out at the Brown family's home in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. The blaze tragically claimed the lives of two of the ten children, four-year-old Kevin and two-year-old Aubrey Jr. In the chaos and heartbreak that followed, their three-year-old sister, Ramona, vanished. While initially it was presumed she too had perished in the fire, no trace of her was ever found in the debris. Fire experts find it highly unlikely that a fire brought under control within 30 to 40 minutes could have completely consumed her remains. In the immediate aftermath, a third set of remains discovered was mistakenly thought to be Ramona's but was later identified as those of an animal. A perplexing account from Ramona's then six-year-old sister, Simona, adds a layer of mystery to the case. Simona has consistently stated that she and Ramona escaped the fire together. She recounts that as they were walking away from the burning house, a bronze or brown-colored, older model Cadillac-type car stopped beside them. Inside the vehicle were an older Black man with short hair and an older white woman with long hair, both described as having thin builds. According to Simona, the couple offered to look after Ramona, who then got into the car with them and was never seen again. This critical information, however, was not relayed to investigators at the time, and for decades, Ramona's disappearance was not officially investigated as a potential abduction. It wasn't until 2018 that Simona filed a formal missing person's report, prompting a cold case investigation to be opened. The years following Ramona's disappearance have been filled with uncertainty and hope for the Brown family. They rebuilt their home on the same lot with the belief that Ramona might one day return. Adding to the family's anguish, their mother passed away in 2019 without knowing what happened to her daughter. The case is now considered a possible non-family abduction, and law enforcement continues to seek answers. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children has released age-progressed photos of Ramona over the years, hoping to spark recognition and generate new leads. The family has also submitted their DNA to ancestry databases in the hope of a potential match. The overarching mystery of Ramona Brown's disappearance is a somber tale of a family shattered by a tragic fire and the enduring question of whether their little girl was lost to the flames or taken by strangers in the confusion of that fateful night.
Mar 06, 1984
New Orleans
Louisiana
Orleans Parish
70114
No
123531
New Orleans Police Department 4th Police District
New Orleans
Louisiana
Orleans Parish
70114
2405 Sanctuary Drive, Louisiana
5046586040
Local
Law Enforcement
B-06487-18
New Orleans Police Department 4th Police District
3629
Black
Brown
Brown
05/27/2026
