Family makes public plea for help finding lost luggage containing deceased loved one’s belongings – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) – A family is desperately asking for help finding a luggage filled with irreplaceable belongings from a loved one who recently passed away.

Family members of 20-year-old Ramon Oreste Martinez told 7News they’re in desperate need of the public’s help after he passed away on April 7 following two battles with cancer.

According to the family, Martinez had been getting treatment for an aggressive form of leukemia in Houston for the past year. A lot of his invaluable possessions were with him at the time.

Martinez was first diagnosed with cancer at 16. Within a year, he was able to say he was cancer-free.

Just a few years later, while Martinez was recovering from the ordeal and getting his life back on track, cancer reared its ugly head back into his life.

Martinez’s cousin, Edel Tejeda, told 7News his aunt and uncle did everything they could when he was diagnosed with Stage IV leukemia in 2024, including moving to Texas for experimental treatments.

“That’s when they decided to pick up and move everything over there as soon as possible to give him his best chance at a fight,” said Tejeda.

His valiant effort to fend off cancer a second time ended on April 7.

While his family traveled from Miami to Houston to bring him back home for a funeral and to retrieve his belongings, one of his luggage bags containing several personal items was mistakenly left at Miami International Airport’s bus zone three at around 10 p.m., April 9.

The family quickly realized they were missing that luggage and rushed back to the airport, which was last seen on surveillance as they left baggage claim. They could not find the missing luggage bag anywhere in the area.

A spokesperson for the airport told 7News the area where the bag was stolen is a blind spot with no surveillance cameras nearby.

“The world that we live in now has cameras everywhere, and the detective was even telling me, out of any place in that airport that you could’ve parked, it was that one spot, which is a camera-free dead spot,” said Tejeda.

Martinez’s family said the customized jewelry inside the bag was among his most prized possessions.

“He had an affinity for beautiful jewelry. At an early age, he was given family heirlooms from our great-grandfather, who brought them with him from Cuba,” said Tejeda. “He’s got custom jewelry with his name on it, Ramon Orestes Martinez, R.O.M., which is his initials. Blessed, his bracelets say ‘Always’ because that’s the family mantra that we say to one another is: ‘I love you’ and you reply ‘Always. I’ll see you later, always.’”

One of the newest pieces by Houston-based jeweler Johnny Dang was also among the items in the bag.

The famous “Grillmaster” for celebrities made a special set for Martinez, which he personally delivered in a special moment at the hospital. The video of that delivery was posted on Instagram.

“He went, got it, made it himself, and then came and hand-delivered them to him in the hospital,” said Tejeda.

In what’s already a painful time for the family, they’re hopeful the safe return of those sentimental belongings to where they belong will help them on the path to healing.

Martinez was his parents’ only son out of three children. He was the youngest.

“Live our lives the way he wanted us to, which is bringing everyone together,” said Tejeda.

Martinez’s family said they’re offering up to $50,000 for any information that helps them track down the missing luggage and all of his belongings inside of it.

They’ve also reported the missing luggage to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
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