CLEVELAND — Dozens of family and friends of Ashley Summers, missing since 2007, gathered Sunday as part of an effort to raise awareness on the 14-year-old's disappearance.
“I love you and I hope you come home soon,” Jennifer Summers, Ashley’s mother, told a crowd.
“What we hope is that someday she’s home safely and we want to keep this alive,” Newburgh Heights Police Chief and Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults Board President John Majoy said.
It was first thought by authorities that Ashley went missing from her Cleveland home on July 9, 2007 and was last seen near the intersection of West 96th Street and Madison Avenue. But now, based on new information released by the FBI in 2021, agents believe she was last seen a day earlier in the area of West 44th Steet and Trowbridge.
RELATED: Ashley Summers still missing after ten years
Summers packed all of her clothes and took them with her, according to reports at the time. She reportedly called her mother one month after she went missing, telling her not to worry and that she would be okay.
In April 2021, the FBI dug up land in the area of West 43rd Street and Train Avenue. Animal bones were found at the property, but no sign of Ashley.
The FBI's Evidence Response Team converged on the area of West 43rd Street and Train Avenue in Cleveland based on new information related to the Ashley Summers case.
Since Ashley went missing, the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force got involved in her case, and a forensic artist created age-progressed images of what she may look like now.
RELATED: Forensic artist hopes new image of missing teen Ashley Summers helps police find her
Among those in attendance at the rally was Gina DeJesus and her family, a sign of hope for Summers’ family.
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“We are here, we are missing you and we need you home,” Nancy Ruiz, Gina DeJesus’ mother, said. “If I did it for nine years, and if I had to do it for 20 years, I would [keep the faith].”
Anyone with information on Summers' whereabouts is asked to call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), the Cleveland Police Department at 216-623-5005 or your local FBI.
