Santa Fe, Texas, cold case: Property search linked to missing girl

SANTA FE, Texas - The search continues at a Santa Fe property on Friday morning in connection to the 1983 cold case disappearance of a girl.

While authorities haven’t officially confirmed which case they are investigating, sources tell FOX 26 the investigation is related to Sondra Ramber, who disappeared when she was 14 years old.

Santa Fe, Texas, property searched in cold case

What we know:

Texas Equusearch and Santa Fe police were involved in a search at a home in the 14400 block of Pine Street on Thursday.

Santa Fe police tell FOX 26 that the home they're investigating is newly built, but investigators are following measurements that were taken by detectives in the 1980s. 

Police Captain Lion Garcia says the homeowners are not connected to the case, and they are cooperating with officials.

"For several years, detectives have followed up on it," he said. "Most recently, Detective Butler started working the case. He started working on a few leads. The leads took him back to this residence which was initially suspected back in the 1980s."

Texas EquuSearch is assisting in the search with ground-penetrating radar. The search continued until 1 a.m. Friday. Officials say they saw a few anomalies, but they did not turn out to be anything.

What we don't know:

Officials have not confirmed who the case is related to. Sources tell FOX 26 the investigation is related to Sondra Ramber. Ramber is the only girl listed in the NamUs missing person’s database who disappeared from the area in 1983 and remains missing. 

What's next:

Texas Equusearch and Santa Fe police will continue to search the property on Friday.

Missing Sondra Ramber: Details on her disappearance

Sondra Ramber went missing from Santa Fe, Texas, in 1983 at the age of 14. (Photo: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

The backstory:

Sondra Kay Ramber was 14 years old when she disappeared on Oct. 26, 1983. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Ramber was last seen by a family member in the kitchen of her Santa Fe home.

Her father reportedly came home to find biscuits in the oven and Ramber missing. According to NCMEC, her family thought she may have gone to the store, but she never came home. They then called police.

Sondra Ramber age progression released in 2023 (Photo: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)

Dig deeper:

In 2023, NCMEC shared an age progression image of what she might look like at the age of 54.

What you can do:

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Sondra Ramber can call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.