OH - Gina DeJesus, 14, Cleveland, 2 April 2004

[Doyle]

Investigators are pulling out all the stops to find missing Gina DeJesus, 14. Police purchased clothing identical to what she was wearing when she disappeared Friday and presented it at a news conference Tuesday in hopes of jogging someone's memory.

DeJesus disappeared four days ago while she was walking home from Wilbur Wright Middle School on Cleveland's west side, and friends and family said the teen decided to walk home instead of taking the bus.
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2980820/detail.html

 

[Doyle]

Nancy Ruiz, the mother of missing teen Georgina DeJesus, marks her birthday today without her daughter by her side.

Family members said Georgina, known as Gina, would never stay away from home willingly on her mother's birthday. Gina disappeared six days ago as she walked home from Wilbur Wright Middle School.

"She would never run away," her aunt, Peggy Arida, said.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1081421790144750.xml

 

[LP Moderator]

This is so sad. I have a question though: Why are children allowed to decide for themselves that they're not going to take the bus home? It would seem to me that the school has a responsibility to make sure they get on that bus. When I sign my children up for school, I have to tell them how they'll be getting to and from school and absent a hand written note from me, THAT is the ONLY way the school let's them go.

 

[Opie]

LP Mod--

The original story in the newspaper said Gina had the $1.50 to ride the (Public--not yellow school bus) bus home. Her friend wanted to call home and see if she could go over to Gina's house, so Gina gave her 50 cents. The girl's mother said no, so Gina was then short on busfare and had no one to walk to her home with her. The paper also said Gina was not really slow, but in some sort of special ed and apparently naive. This is really sad.

 

[Doyle]

Police want to talk with a man seen driving along Lorain Avenue in the area where 14-year-old Georgina DeJesus disappeared last week.

The man is described as Hispanic, driving a light-colored, older-model compact car with a license plate that includes the letters SMS. Georgina, known as Gina, disappeared a week ago near West 105th Street and Lorain Avenue as she walked home from school.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1081503117277200.xml

The family of a missing 14-year-old girl released new photos of her Thursday in hopes that someone might be able to recognize her, reported NewsChannel5.
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/2988989/detail.html

 

[Trino]

<Why are children allowed to decide for themselves that they're not going to take the bus home? It would seem to me that the school has a responsibility to make sure they get on that bus.

Gina is 14 years old. Have you ever witnessed a dismissal at a middle school? There is no way that a school could put each and every kid (1,000?) on a school bus or a public bus. Besides, if she spent her money, how could the school make her take a public bus?

Gina made an ill-fated decision after school, when the school's responsibility had ended. She knew how to take a public bus home, how much money it took, so she had some competency. If she accepted a ride home, the problem was naivity, a common problem with middle school students. They just don't fully understand the implications of their actions.

 

[johnny]

FBI agents went to the Brookpark Road rink Thursday to talk with employees and ask if Gina ever went there, but Special Agent Bob Hawk said the interviews did not yield anything valuable.

" Its the kids and hang around adult they need to talk with to see if an older teen or adult was hanging around."

The day she disappeared, Gina wanted to go to a local skating rink. Schoolmates said the rink is a gathering spot some Friday nights, but Gina had been grounded last week because her father caught her smoking, police said

Children have seen the car, Gingell said.

Thursday, students at Wilbur Wright Middle School on Parkhurst Drive, where Gina is a seventh-grader, said one girl saw Gina talking with a man in a car on Lorain Avenue the day she disappeared.

She got in trouble for smoking...so she's upset rebelling and showing independence....she asked for a friend to stay over and was turned down...another parent has essentially punished her...she decided first to take the city bus then after using part of the money she resigned herself to walk home......the guy who was grooming her at the skating rink..who has been stalking her.....see's her walking home and consoles her about her father grounding her and offers her a ride home........

 

[johnny]

Gina walked a diverse neighborhood

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1081589551104462.xml?ncounty_cuyahoga

Westbrook, who represents neighborhoods farther east on Lorain, said there is a "disturbing and unfortunate" drug and prostitution problem that has surfaced in the last five years.

"It's near the interstate," he said. "Word gets out that's where you can purchase sex and drugs."

Burglaries, drugs and prostitution "feed out of each other," said Police Commander Gary Gingell of the area's First Police District. "It's a vicious circle."

 

[johnny]

FBI searches for missing 14-year-old girl

04/05/04

Joan Mazzolini
Plain Dealer Reporter


The FBI has joined in the search for 14-year-old Georgina DeJesus, missing since Friday.

The Cleveland girl, who goes by Gina, did not come home from Wilbur Wright Middle School on Parkhurst Drive.


Gina, a seventh-grader in special education classes, decided to walk home, family and friends said.

"I gave her the $1.25 to catch the bus because it was cold out side," said her mother, Nancy Ruiz. "But she has the ten dency to walk home and use the money for" after-school snacks.

Ruiz said when Gina walks, she's home by 3:35 p.m. at the latest.

At 3:45, Ruiz said she walked to the corner store to see if Gina had stopped in. She then started calling her daughter's friends.

"No one had seen her," she said.

The family called police about 5:30 p.m. Friday. The FBI joined the search Sunday.

"They offered their assistance and we took them up on it," said Cleveland police Lt. Brian Heffernan of the 1st District.

At the Ruiz-DeJesus home Sunday afternoon, family and friends were picking up fliers to pass out or staple onto utility poles. FBI agents were there, talking to her parents and friends and searching her bedroom. Cleveland police also were there.

 

[johnny]

200 join search for Gina

04/11/04

Sarah Treffinger
Plain Dealer Reporter


Onita Stewart brought her teenager to Cleveland on Saturday to help find somebody else's child.

They drove from Westlake to join roughly 200 people distributing fliers about the disappearance of 14-year-old Georgina DeJesus.


"It hit so close to home," Stewart said of the news that Georgina, known as Gina, went missing April 2. "I wish we could do more."

Stewart and her daughter, Kristie Strunk, 14, spent the morning going door-to-door on Dale and Thrush avenues not far from Wilbur Wright Middle School, where Gina is in seventh grade.

Gina disappeared as she walked to her West 71st Street home from the school on Parkhurst Drive. She was last seen near West 105th Street and Lorain Avenue.

Saturday's effort, coordinated by City Council members, covered a lot of ground. Volunteers fanned out from West 54th to West 105th streets and from Detroit to Almira avenues, Councilman Matt Zone said. They also focused on a half-mile radius around Gi na's school.

Mayra DeJesus, Gina's sister, said the turnout was "amazing."

"We're grateful," she said.

Before hitting the streets, Gina's relatives, friends and neighbors joined city officials and well-meaning strangers in the parking lot of Zone Recreation Center on Lorain Avenue. Mayor Jane Campbell told the crowd she is hoping for an Easter "miracle."

Marie Buildt's family had already gotten one. The 14-year-old said she was mad at her father when she left home about two months ago.

She spent time in Elyria but returned to Cleveland Friday night.

"It's like they say, 'You don't know what you have until you lose it,' " Marie said.

Lt. Wayne Drummond, a Cleveland police spokesman, said there are "absolutely no indicators" that Gina ran away. He said 12 to 18 FBI agents have been working with police to find her.

Members of Team Adam, a program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, also are on the case.

Pam Reed, a retired homicide detective from Washington, D.C., and Tom Rodgers, a retired lieutenant from Indianapolis, helped register volunteers Saturday.

They came to Cleveland a few days ago to assist law-enforcement agencies. "When we get a call, we pack our bags and run," Rodgers said. "Then we stay for as long as we're needed."

Councilwoman Dona Brady said residents also are doing what they can to help.

"Unfortunately, as these children become missing, we learn more about how to mobilize a community, how to act, how to get out and spread the word," Brady said.

She noted that Amanda Berry, who disappeared last April after leaving work at the Burger King restaurant at West 110th Street and Lorain Avenue, still has not been found.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

streffinger@plaind.com, 216-999-3906

 

[johnny]

Few people will read this............Why do so many of YOU get so interested in a damn psychic? None, nadda, zero ever bring a child home. (although they always try and take the credit from people who put in hard work and effort)

Also seems like most of you read to many damn romance novels and probably do very little to actually get involved in these missing kids......why is one child or adult so much more important than another? If I offend anyone..oh well, next time you're in Nashville look me up and you can help us try and find a girl who's missing? You tell me who that girl is.......is seems she's in towns all over America and people have forgotten who they are!



Happy Easter! Hope you found an easter egg!

 

[Nore]

This is so sad. I have a question though: Why are children allowed to decide for themselves that they're not going to take the bus home? It would seem to me that the school has a responsibility to make sure they get on that bus. When I sign my children up for school, I have to tell them how they'll be getting to and from school and absent a hand written note from me, THAT is the ONLY way the school let's them go.

-----------
Hi LP. I wish I knew how to send your post to the Plain Dealer in Cleveland. I sure would! I visited a friend in this area yesterday.A little boy about8 asked me if I had seen Gina....I wanted to cry! There are many factories and open areas near there,hope they have checked tem all out.I pray for her.

 

[babylove]

This is so sad. I have a question though: Why are children allowed to decide for themselves that they're not going to take the bus home? It would seem to me that the school has a responsibility to make sure they get on that bus. When I sign my children up for school, I have to tell them how they'll be getting to and from school and absent a hand written note from me, THAT is the ONLY way the school let's them go.

Buses only pick kids up here if they live at least 5 miles from school. A lot can happen in 5 miles, especially to a young girl walking down Lorain by herself. Cleveland is one of the WORST school districts in the country. The public school system is a joke here. Its almost as dangerous to be in a classroom in some schools, as it is to be walking a dark street alone at night. This city is ridiculous. Our mayor doesn't do CRAP to prevent things like this from happening, she is laying off half the cops who patrol those very streets for her 'budget cuts' meanwhile her kids get personaly cheuferred to private schools by cops getting paid OT to do it.

Sorry, rant over. Needless to say Jane Campbell isn't getting re elected. Anyhow, up in my area, it isn't bad, but its not even a 5 minute drive down Lorain to wheere these girls are vanishing from. There are crackheads and yeah, prostitutes running rampant in that area, that is right over by where the car thief abducted the baby who was in the back of his moms car. Its nothing but deviants and the good people who work hard and try to deal with being stuck in that neighborhood, having to walk to school, deal with the crackhouses and dealers out everywhere and whatnot... its just not fair that things like this can happen. I mean I know it can happen anywhere and it only takes a second to snatch a child but why aren't they hiring MORE police officers to be out and about... SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. How many girls are going to vanish form this area before they do something about it?! :furious:

Obviously, I live in Cleveland, not far from where Gina does. I've grown up here. My husband works at the bank with Gina's cousin, their families are very close. We went to the vigil for her, and today I put her flyers up in our apt building. I live off Lorain Rd, but on the other side of town, just a hop skip and a jump away from W105st. The farther down Lorain you go, the worse it gets. A lot of my friends lived down there when I was younger, my mom grew up on 85th, it used to be a nice middle class area but but the neighborhood has just gotten so bad its scary to even go down there... she's a very pretty young lady, there are so many sick freaks walking the streets, its so sad to think what may have happened to this poor girl.

This case is so sad, and reminds me so much of Amanda, who vanished a year ago after leaving her job at BK only blocks from where Gina was last seen. I knew Amanda Berry, a friend of mine was dating her at the time she disappeared. There were rumors about her going with this other guy in a black monte carlo that she knew, but it was just rumors, it never went anywhere. Its still a mystery one year later, she still has not been found.

Doyle thank you for posting this. My husband asked me if I put her story on this site, and it had totally slipped my mind to do so, so I came to do just that and saw this thread.

All we can do now is pray for a miracle.

 

[mindys]

Few people will read this............Why do so many of YOU get so interested in a damn psychic? None, nadda, zero ever bring a child home. (although they always try and take the credit from people who put in hard work and effort)

Also seems like most of you read to many damn romance novels and probably do very little to actually get involved in these missing kids......why is one child or adult so much more important than another? If I offend anyone..oh well, next time you're in Nashville look me up and you can help us try and find a girl who's missing? You tell me who that girl is.......is seems she's in towns all over America and people have forgotten who they are!



Happy Easter! Hope you found an easter egg!

WHAT are you talking about Johnny??? :sick:

 

[LP Moderator]

<Why are children allowed to decide for themselves that they're not going to take the bus home? It would seem to me that the school has a responsibility to make sure they get on that bus.

Gina is 14 years old. Have you ever witnessed a dismissal at a middle school? There is no way that a school could put each and every kid (1,000?) on a school bus or a public bus. Besides, if she spent her money, how could the school make her take a public bus?

Gina made an ill-fated decision after school, when the school's responsibility had ended. She knew how to take a public bus home, how much money it took, so she had some competency. If she accepted a ride home, the problem was naivity, a common problem with middle school students. They just don't fully understand the implications of their actions.

Trino, yes, I have witnessed a dismissal from a middle school as I have three children of my own, the oldest being 24, the middle is almost 11 and my youngest is 9. However, I had absolutely no idea that these children took a "public" bus, nor did I know that her middle school accommodated 1000 students. In my area, there are only a few hundred children in the school and either their parents, a daycare van or the school district bus takes them home, but thanks for answering my question.

 

[LP Moderator]

LP Mod--

The original story in the newspaper said Gina had the $1.50 to ride the (Public--not yellow school bus) bus home. Her friend wanted to call home and see if she could go over to Gina's house, so Gina gave her 50 cents. The girl's mother said no, so Gina was then short on busfare and had no one to walk to her home with her. The paper also said Gina was not really slow, but in some sort of special ed and apparently naive. This is really sad.

Thanks Opie. Its very very sad indeed. I hope they find her.

 

[johnny]

Holiday weekend proves hard for family of missing teenager
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Faith-filled family spends Easter with one empty plate at dinner table
National Center for Missing Children to assist in search for teenager
Missing teen's classmates get lesson in safety as search continues
Emotions run hot when parents meet to make sure children stay safe
Friends and family scouring city's industrial west side for missing girl
New clues uncovered as serious search for missing teen intensifies
Authorities, family friends continue to search for missing 14-year-old
Check All | Clear All





CLEVELAND - It was a difficult Easter weekend for the family of missing 14-year-old Gina DeJesus.

The search for the Cleveland teenager, now well into its second week, continues. However, there's still no sign of Gina, who vanished without a trace two Fridays ago.

Now the grass-roots search is going national. Family traveling from Tennessee over the holiday weekend posted pictures of Gina at rest stops along the way.

Also, another search team is moving into the Cleveland area. Detectives with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have been called in to assist.

Local police and Mayor Jane Campbell are planning another news conference to update the public on the status of the search.

Stick with 19 Action News for that important information and other details regarding the search for Gina.

Elsewhere, 19 Action News reported that officers checked surveillance cameras at the skating center in Brook Park, where Gina (pictured, above) had planned on attending a party on the night that she ultimately disappeared. Unfortunately, there were no cameras set up in the establishment, and no one recalls Gina attending.

MacFarlane also reported that the FBI spent part of Thursday questioning the missing girl's best friend -- believed to be the last person to see Gina before she vanished.

"We were laughing and giggling and joking around," Gina's best friend exclusively told 19 Action News.

When asked if Gina being grounded by her parents for smoking could have instigated her to run away, especially considering she was not being allowed to go to the skating party later that night, her friend said it wasn't likely.

"When she was around me, she wasn't upset at all," she said.

Detectives with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children also came to Cleveland with a special unit last fall when Shakira Johnson disappeared. They call the special unit Team Adam.

In one year, Team Adam has searched for 93 children and found 86 of those kids. Eleven of those found, however, were already dead, including Shakira.

Team Adam getting directly involved in the search for Gina DeJesus can only help the situation. In fact, the agency is already faxing out flyers all across the state.

Gina vanished without a trace on April 2. She was last seen at approximately 2:30 p.m. when she was making her way home from the middle school she attends. The seventh-grader takes special education classes.

No Amber Alert has been issued in this case because there is no evidence that would help to target a specific suspect or vehicle. However, Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell held a news conference to assure the public that city authorities and the FBI are doing everything they can to find Gina.

Police and FBI are interviewing neighbors and checking vacant homes and lots. The FBI used a bloodhound that tracked her scent several blocks.

The missing teen’s family joined the mayor and other community leaders to plead for Gina’s safe return.

“It's refreshing to know that perfect strangers care about our darling Gina," relative Sylvia Colon said. “Gina, if you're listening, it's OK. Call us. No one's going to be angry. We just want to get you home."

Gina's family is not alone in their pain. Eleven-year-old Shakira Johnson was abducted and killed last year. Her mother, Alisa Randle, knows what Gina's family is going through.

“I'm just here to support them,” Randle said. “I pray that they don't have to go through what I went through. Keep on praying. Don't stop."

Randle’s words touched the DeJesus family.

“She gave me a lot of thoughts not to give up, and to keep the faith between our kids," Gina’s father, Felix DeJesus, said.

The two families shared hugs and tears as the DeJesus family continues to hold onto hope that their bundle of joy makes it home safely.

“Even though hers is gone, mine is still alive. I pray to God that mine comes home,” Felix said.

Gina DeJesus, who stands at 5’2” tall and weighs approximately 130 pounds, was last seen wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, black slacks that flair at the bottom, a powder-blue hooded coat with powder-blue Phat Farm shoes.

 

[Doyle]

Hundreds of callers, some claiming supernatural ability, have flooded police with tips in the search for missing 14-year-old Georgina DeJesus.

But none of the tips has led to her return.
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1081855917210830.xml

 

[Nore]

I recieved a message from News channel 5 today. They are using search dogs at the Edgewater area today. Please pray.Now off to work.

 

[babylove]

http://www.newsnet5.com/crimestoppers/3007418/detail.html


I am still praying for her family. I can only hope that they find Gina soon.