Overview of Mark Ramin
Mark Donald Ramin has been described by family members as having several long-term friends, in addition to being well-liked by strangers who he would meet at his job working in the Pyramid Mall, known today as the Shops at Ithaca. Mark's sister describes his character best when she explained in an interview "if you needed a dollar, and he only had one dollar in his pocket, he would give it to you".
Everyone around Mark knew that he was a well-organized man who stuck to his routine. Mark's mother explained in an interview with The Ithaca Journal that he would wake up at the same time every day and have a bowl of cereal for breakfast before making his roughly 30-minute walk to work at the Sunglass Hut at the local mall.
Friday, January 18, 2002, was a seemingly normal day for Mark, although we do not know much about how he spent most of his day. According to police, January 18th was his day off from his job at the Sunglass Hut in the local mall. However, Mark was last seen leaving this mall that evening, sometime between 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm, and hasn't been seen for the past 20 years.
When Mark didn't return home by the following morning, Mark's younger brother, Paul, became increasingly worried about his brother. Not only was it odd that Mark would stay out all night, but he also noticed that Mark didn't return that day to change into his business attire before his shift, as he always did. After contacting their mother, who also wasn't able to get in contact with Mark, the pair officially reported him missing.
On January 21, 2002, only three days after Mark was last seen leaving the mall, he was seen at Tops Supermarket, in nearby Lansing, NY, according to police. On January 24, 2002, police began conducting extensive searches of the areas surrounding his home and the mall where Mark was last officially seen, an area near Fall Creek, and various searches along his usual walking route to work. Unfortunately, these extensive searches would lead police no closer to finding Mark.
At the time of his disappearance, Mark Donald Ramin was 40 years old, 5'5 tall, weighing approximately 135 lbs., and had brown hair and hazel eyes. Mark was last seen wearing a tan jacket, green golf shirt, blue jeans, and light green sneakers. Mark wears gold-rimmed glasses and is missing the tip of his right middle finger. Today, Mark would be 60 years old and remains missing over 20 years after he was last seen.
Investigators have stated that there is little evidence indicating whether foul play may have had a role in Mark's disappearance, however, they do suspect that something may have occurred during Mark's 30-minute walk back to his home. If you have any information regarding the January 18, 2002, disappearance of Mark Donald Ramin, please contact the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department at (607) 257-1345 or email your tip to nysvicap@troopers.ny.gov.