KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The mother of a teenage girl missing from Kalamazoo is asking for help. Ruby Cruz left her Kalamazoo home early Monday morning and never came back. Ruby's mom said she's drained, and that all she wants is for her daughter to come back home.
"Very drained, very tired. It's been hard to sleep, and, yeah, I'm just very worried for her," said Ruby's mother, Juana Iris Barraza.
16-year-old Ruby Cruz could often be found watching Netflix or reading a book.
"She loves to read. She likes to watch, like, anime, those things like that," said Barraza.
On Monday around 4:45 a.m., Ruby walked away from her home in Kalamazoo. Her mom said she got an alert Monday morning that her security cameras were turned off, and when she went to check her daughter's room, she was gone.
"The only reason I know it was Monday morning is because she disconnected the cameras at the house, and I got a notification saying our cameras are disconnected, and it's 4:43 in the morning. I was like, okay. I woke up at 5:15 and she wasn't here," said Barraza.
Ruby is five foot three weighing about 125 pounds with dark brown hair. Her mom said Ruby ran away before in November after her mom found out she was seeing a boy from school that her parents didn't like.
"A lot of negative things that he would say to her about her, like horrible things, and she would just let it happen. She did not like the fact that I was, like, you can't talk to him. Like, it's not okay. Then she just left," said Barraza.
Her mom believes the boy Ruby was seeing had something to do with her disappearance on Monday.
"So we immediately went to the boy's house, and we're like, is she here? The mom was like, she's not here. She's not here," said Barraza.
Ruby's mom has been in contact with Kalamazoo police since the day Ruby went missing. Her mom said Ruby suffers from anxiety and usually keeps to herself. All she wants is for her daughter to come back home.
"The sense of community here has been great with just trying to find her and helping in any way they can. I just want her back safe. That's all I want at the end of the day, that this is the decision is still hers," said Barraza.
Ruby is one of a few teens in West Michigan that are missing. However, police do not believe the cases are connected. In Cedar Springs, Penelope Wise was last seen Friday evening. In Ottawa County, 15-year-old Zyleha Noel was found safe after being missing for over a month.
If anyone has any information about Ruby, you can contact the Kalamazoo Police Department.
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