Lucia Perez: Missing From Worthington Since June 27, 2011

Alert details

10/26/2026

MISSING PERSON: LUCIA PEREZ — WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA

Lucia Perez was 41 when she disappeared from Worthington in June 2011. More than 15 years later, her name remains in the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's public missing-person database. She would now be 56.

The BCA records June 27, 2011, as her date of last contact. Its bulletin says she was last seen with Bernardino Ramirez-Perez and that the two may have traveled to Iowa in a maroon Buick Century. Information indicated they may have been near Rock Valley, Iowa, during the afternoon of June 27.

That possible sighting is a lead in an unresolved disappearance. The bulletin does not establish what happened afterward, identify a crime scene or accuse the named companion of harming Lucia.

A TRIP TO LOOK FOR WORK

Historical reporting by the Worthington Daily Globe describes Lucia, also known as Lucia Chilel Perez, as a mother of three who had immigrated from Guatemala. According to that reporting, she was seeking work in northwestern Iowa and relied on an acquaintance for transportation because she did not drive.

The account gives the disappearance a simple starting point: a trip across the state line to find employment. The public record does not provide a confirmed explanation for why she failed to return to her family.

WHAT OLDER REPORTING DESCRIBES

Historical coverage collected by Iowa Cold Cases describes investigators checking businesses in northwestern Iowa and a final phone connection in that region. They also describe Ramirez-Perez returning without Lucia and giving an immigration-detention explanation that investigators reportedly could not substantiate.

Historical coverage describes an examination of the Buick that did not produce physical evidence explaining Lucia's disappearance. It also describes efforts to seek information beyond the immediate area after Ramirez-Perez left. These are historical reporting accounts, not newly announced findings in 2026.

Some historical coverage calls Ramirez-Perez a person of interest. That designation is not a finding of guilt. The BCA bulletin itself names him as Lucia's last known companion and does not label him a suspect.

THE DATE CONFLICT

The BCA bulletin places the possible Rock Valley sighting on June 27, 2011. Some retrospective accounts describe events beginning on June 26 or a return that day. Those accounts cannot be combined into a settled hour-by-hour sequence without clarification from investigators. This report retains June 27 as the official last-contact date and treats the older chronology as unresolved.

Descriptions also vary across historical sources. For recognition purposes, the identifying details below follow the BCA bulletin rather than mixing measurements from different listings.

LUCIA PEREZ

June 20, 1970: Lucia's date of birth, according to the BCA bulletin.

Late June 2011: Historical reporting describes a trip from Worthington into northwestern Iowa to look for employment. Some accounts use June 26; the official last-contact date is June 27.

June 27, 2011: BCA date of last contact. The bulletin identifies possible travel near Rock Valley that afternoon in a maroon Buick Century with Bernardino Ramirez-Perez.

June 28, 2011: Later reporting describes Lucia's son contacting police after she did not return.

July 8, 2011: Historical reporting records a BCA endangered-missing-person appeal and assistance from Iowa authorities.

2012: Historical accounts describe investigators working without a confirmed crime scene or physical evidence explaining her disappearance.

July 2021: The Daily Globe revisits the case at its ten-year mark, reporting that the search remained unresolved.

October 26, 2026: Lucia remains listed in the BCA's public missing-person database. A listing's continued availability does not itself mean a new lead or investigative development has been announced.

HELP IDENTIFY LUCIA

Name: Lucia Perez. Also reported as Lucia Chilel Perez. Alternate name listed by BCA: Mary Rodriguez Figueroa. Date of birth: June 20, 1970. Age when missing: 41. Age now: 56. Sex: Female. Race: Hispanic, as listed in the bulletin. Height: 5 feet 1 inch. Weight: 120 pounds. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Brown. Clothing: An ankle-length denim skirt and a short-sleeved black blouse with white decoration. She was carrying a black backpack. Missing from: Worthington, Minnesota. Possible related location: Rock Valley, Iowa. Vehicle lead: Maroon Buick Century. The bulletin does not provide a license plate.

QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

The public sources reviewed do not establish Lucia's whereabouts or explain the end of her journey. Clarification is still needed on the final verified sighting, the conflicting dates in historical accounts, and whether investigators have received information that can move the case forward. An update date on a third-party listing should not be treated as proof of new evidence.

Anyone who remembers Lucia, the vehicle, or information about that trip can contact the Worthington Police Department at 507-372-2136. Call 911 if there is an immediate emergency. Please share the official identifying information and photographs without presenting speculation as fact.

Sources: Minnesota BCA missing-person bulletin and public missing-person database; historical Worthington Daily Globe reporting from July 2021; Iowa Cold Cases case summary. Photographs: Minnesota BCA missing-person bulletin.

Additional details

Photo credit

Portraits: NamUs, via Iowa Cold Cases. Outdoor photo: Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, via Iowa Cold Cases.

Investigating agency

Worthington Police Department

Tip line

507-372-2136

Historical case reporting

https://iowacoldcases.org/case-summaries/lucia-perez/