Friday marked the 22nd birthday of a missing young woman, and her mother can only wish for her safe return.
ABC 7 reported that in March 2022, Ruthey Smith, then 19 years old, went missing from Long Beach, California.
A billboard at Spring Street and Orange Avenue now displays a desperate plea for information about this missing woman, who may be a victim of sex trafficking. Ruthey’s family and the City of Long Beach erected the billboard, marking 1,000 days since her disappearance.
“Somebody somewhere knows something,” said Smith’s mother, Kathryn Renesto. “We want to bring her back to her daughter. Ocean deserves her mommy. Ruthey deserves life. Only 1% of these victims come back alive. My daughter deserves to be that 1%. So I beg the public: if you see something, say something.”
Ruthey has the names Ezra and Lamarion tattooed near her ear, and the name Ocean, along with a wave, tattooed on her chest. Her nose and belly button are both pierced. She is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 152 pounds when she vanished. She has brown hair and brown eyes.
Ruthey’s last known location was in Wrightwood, in the San Bernardino Mountains, on March 3, 2022. According to CBS News, this area is part of the Figueroa Corridor, which is known for prostitution and human trafficking.
“We can confirm that Ruthey Smith remains missing and is believed to be a victim of human trafficking,” said Long Beach Police Department officials in a statement to KCAL News. “She was last seen on March 2, 2022, near the area of Figueroa and 70th in Los Angeles. Our detectives are actively pursuing all leads in this investigation.”
Renesto explained that her daughter was trying to support her one-year-old child and was working as a prostitute at the time of her disappearance. “She told me she was at her breaking point, scared, and didn’t want to do it anymore but was afraid to leave,” Renesto said. “These women deserve to matter, just like my daughter, all of them.”
The City of Long Beach, in collaboration with Clear Channel, which owns the billboard space, placed the billboard at no cost to the family.
Anyone with information about Ruthey’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-7246.
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[Feature Photo via City of Long Beach]
