PILSEN — Before she was killed last week, Pilsen resident Soledad Ramos was working two jobs to support her daughter and mother.
Employees of a Pilsen laundromat arrived Thursday morning to find their co-worker stabbed to death in a cleaning closet at Spin Cycle, 1707 W. Cermak Road, according to sources. The 31-year-old Ramos had been stabbed in her head, Chicago Police said, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to working at the laundromat, Ramos also worked at Panaderia In El Acambaro, a Pilsen bakery on 18th Street. Elizabeth Beltran, whose family owns the bakery, said Ramos was a "hardworking, beautiful person" working two jobs to support her daughter and mom.
Beltran has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the Ramos family with funeral expenses. With a goal of $10,000, $2,875 has been raised to date.
"We are asking for your prayers and for your generosity to contribute what a coffee, lunch or dinner would costs to help with funeral expenses," Beltran wrote. "This beautiful woman did not deserve to leave this world so early in her life.
Ramos' only child, Marllery "Maya" Ramos, said her mother was "strong and independent."
"She was the most friendliest person anyone could ever meet," said Maya Ramos, a 16-year-old student at UIC College Prep. "Everyone loves my mom. My friends even called her 'mom' whenever they would come visit.
"All she ever wanted for everyone was for them to be someone in the world, you know?"
Maya Ramos said she will always remember spending time with her mother downtown. On one visit, her family attempted to take a family photo near the Grant Park fountain, she said.
"We all [sat] together on a bench and [tried] to take a family picture, but we couldn't because all of our arms are short and we couldn't fit everyone in there," Maya Ramos remembered. Her mother told her: "We don't need a picture for people to know that we are a big united family. Everyone knows we love each other very much."
Cook County Medical Examiner's records listed Ramos' name as Maria Soledad, of the 2000 block of West Cullerton Avenue.
Soledad had recently separated from her husband, her daughter confirmed. Police said the murder appeared to be a "domestic-related incident."
No one is in custody and detectives are investigating, police said Monday.
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