maribel ramos had joined the army to put herself through college. away from her graduation ceremony she vanished. earlier maribel had called police to say she was in danger and afraid for her life. what was it, or who was it that had her so concerned? here's josh mankiewicz again with "mystery in orange county." >> by now, posters blanketed the city of orange. maribel ramos was missing and her family was frantic. >> as soon as i got the call she didn't show up for her baseball game, i got the worst feeling in the world. >> putting herself out with all the rest, her roommate k.c.choi. >> she was like my best friend. >> he had moved from tennessee to southern california for a job. he had no family and few friends here so he turned to maribel and she was happy to include him. she even arranged for k.c. to tutor her niece in math. >> he seemed nice, respectful. he liked to be involved with the family and my aunt. >> he didn't have family of his own so he kind of attached himself to yours? >> yeah. >> but they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend? >> no. >>

. >> maribel ramos was a fighter, her family immigrated to the u.s. when she was a baby, and she was always determined to get ahead. maribel knew exactly how she would do it, joining the army and doing two tours overseas before returning to civilian light. but even her military experience wouldn't prepare her for the evil she found back at home. finding out what happened to this woman would be one of the biggest missiysteries detective would have to solve. >> orange county, california, on tv, it's a place of sun, fun and privilege. it's where the "real housewives" first aired their dirty laundry. it's where the kids from the "o.c." first showed us what their temperature really was. around here you get the sense that everyone's rich and white and lives in a mansion with a view of the pacific. but step back from the coast and you'll see the orange county that isn't on tv, not as wealthy, not as white, full of those who came here from somewhere else, chasing a better life. and finding it in places like santa ana. a mostly working class immigrant community

so maribel ramos became private first class ramos. she joined the army hoping to use the g.i. bill. her first day was august 8th, 2001. and just 34 days later, the whole world changed. >> we all sort of recoiled in horror but you probably also thought, that's going to affect my sister? >> yeah. i turn on the tv and the towers are crumbling. the first thing i thought was, oh, my goodness, my sister is going to war, how do you wrap your mind around that? >> lucy worried. her mother worried. maribel was like a rock. >> what did maribel say about going overseas? >> she didn't express her feelings about it. she said, this is what's happening, sister, you need to talk to mom. >> maribel went to war in iraq. >> what was it like to see her in uniform? >> it was -- it was pretty amazing. >> lucy's daughter and maribel's niece. >> i saw her as a really brave strong soldier, sometimes i was like, whoa, you're going out there, like to save everybody. >> you're proud of her? >> yeah. >> maribel learned to jump out of airplanes and she manned the guns for armed convoys. she saw more than her shar