Family puts up billboard hopeful it leads to return of missing mother

    LONG BEACH, California (KCAL/KCBS) -- The family of a missing Long Beach woman who they believe is a victim of sex trafficking are hopeful that a new billboard they recently had put up will help bring her home.

Ruthey Smith went missing nearly three years ago in South Los Angeles in March 2022 and hasn't been heard from since.

Friday, Smith's birthday, is an especially difficult day for the family — one that they would typically spend celebrating the missing mother.

"My daughter is 22-years-old today, wherever she is at, Happy Birthday," said Smith's mother Kathryn Renesto. "We will find you."

Renesto led the charge to erect the billboard, which lists all of her daughter's identification information and a photo, at the corner of Spring Street and Orange Avenue.

In the past, they've put up fliers hoping that someone would reported seeing Smith, and after more than 1,000 days of nothing, they've taken a major step towards finding their loved one.

"I don't know where she's at, she was my only daughter," Renesto said.

Police confirm that they continue to investigate Smith's disappearance, which happened along the infamous Figueroa Corridor which is famous for prostitution and 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 sent to KCAL News. "She was last seen on March 2, 2022 near the area of Figueroa and 70th in the City of Los Angeles. Our detectives are actively pursuing all leads in this investigation."

They shared surveillance camera footage of Smith, which they believe is the last time she was seen.

Renesto says that her daughter was working as a prostitute in order to support her daughter, who was one year old at the time.

"She just expressed to me that she was kind of at her end, she was scared and didn't want to do that no more, but was afraid to get away," she said. "One percent of victims come back alive, so I have to pray Ruthey is going to be that one percent. But, that's 99% that don't. These women deserve to matter as well as my daughter, all of them."

The billboard was put up with no cost to the family through the City of Long Beach and a collaboration with Clear Channel, the building that owns the billboard space.

Anyone who may know more about Smith's whereabouts is urged to contact LBPD at (562) 570-7246.