Katharina Buczek
After these efforts yielded no answers, Jennifer was forced to reach out to local authorities. The police did not take the missing person report seriously, though, and believed Ashley had just voluntarily run away. So, in spite of Jennifer’s pleas, the police wound up designating Ashley’s case as an “endangered runaway.”
Jennifer was not satisfied with this response from investigators, though, and decided to take matters into her own hands. She and the rest of Ashley’s family started posting missing-person flyers around town and organizing search parties.
Strangely, the flyers were all ripped down within just one day. But a few tips had been submitted before then.
This led to confusion regarding the last known sighting of Ashley, with reports ranging from July 4 to July 9, 2017. However, the FBI now believes that Ashley was last near West 44 Street and Towbridge Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 8, 2007.
One month after Ashley disappeared, her mother then received a phone call at work. The caller had dialed from a blocked number and reportedly said, “Mom, it’s me. I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
Jennifer recalled how the caller had sounded like her daughter. However, she could not be completely sure.
And by May 2008, the FBI finally got involved in Ashley’s investigation after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children brought her case to their attention. At that point, the FBI Cleveland Division began to suspect that Ashley’s disappearance might have been connected to other missing girls in the Cleveland area.
Amanda Berry, for instance, was a 16-year-old who had disappeared on April 21, 2003, while walking home after finishing a shift at Burger King. Georgina DeJesus, a 14-year-old, also vanished while walking home from school in April 2004.
On May 6, 2013, both of these girls– along with Michelle Knight– were discovered after Amanda escaped the home of Ariel Castro. This discovery marked the end of the girls’ nearly 10-year captivity.
That’s why rumors began to swirl that perhaps Ashley had also been in the same house at one point. However, authorities were never able to find any evidence of this.
As for Ashley’s boyfriend, Gene, he had an alibi at the time of her disappearance since he was at a family reunion out of town. Still, investigators interviewed him various times, and his story always stayed consistent. This pushed authorities to never declare him a person of interest.
