DeJesus’ Mother: ‘Amanda is Out There, Just Like Gina’

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The family of Gina DeJesus is watching the FBI activity on West 30th Street very closely.

“The first thing that went through my mind was Beth, Amanda Berry’s sister, and what she must be going through,” said Gina’s mother, Nancy Ruiz.

Ruiz knows all too well the pain the Berry Family is experiencing right now. As soon as she heard the news Thursday morning of the search for Amanda Berry’s remains, relatives called and came over to Ruiz’s house to comfort her.

That’s because her daughter, Gina, who was 14 years old at the time, went missing back in 2004 just a year after Amanda Berry’s disappearance. Six years ago, the FBI also got an anonymous tip on the whereabouts of Gina DeJesus’ remains, so Ruiz says Thursday’s events feel eerily similar.

“In 2006, when they excavated a garage because it was said that my daughter’s remains were supposed to be buried there, and they were not, I knew that, and by the time they were done, they didn’t find anything, and I know the heartache my family went through, what I went through, and I can only imagine what Beth and her family are going through– especially with her mom.”

Thursday afternoon, Ruiz went to West 30th and Seymour streets just a block away from where the FBI is conducting their investigation.

Ruiz spoke to people in the neighborhood. She says she came to the scene because she wants to be their for support. “I want Beth to know that she’s not alone.”

Gina’s mother says she continues to wear shirts with her daughter’s face on it to bring attention to the disappearances. She says wearing the shirt keeps her going, plus Thursday’s FBI activity gives her hope that maybe her little girl will be found too.

“If (Amanda Berry) is there, they will have closure, and they will be able to move forward. But if she’s not there, I will tell Beth to keep the faith because Amanda is out there just like Gina.”

Nancy Ruiz says she and her family are not giving up their search for Gina, and they will pray and support the Berry Family.

*Click here for additional coverage on the Amanda Berry investigation.

Search for Amanda Berry