Crews search Lake Lanier for clues in woman's disappearance

A new search for a woman who disappeared near Lake Lanier turned up no clues on Friday.

Crews have been searching the area around Lanier Pointe Park for 23-year-old Lizeth Ruiz since she disappeared more than a week ago.

Authorities said she was with friends at the lake on May 18 when she became separated from them. She has not been seen since.

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Investigators said they have few answers in the case.

“At this point it’s rather perplexing to us,” Gainesville police Sgt. Kevin Holbrook said.

Ruiz’s family suspects foul play and thinks she may have been kidnapped. Authorities wonder if she harmed herself.

Through an interpreter, Ruiz’s mother, Martha Guzman, told Channel 2’s Tony Thomas that she believes her daughter is still alive.

“She feels that inside her, she is still alive. She has faith that we will find her,” the interpreter said.

Ruiz’s family and friends watched as Gainesville police used 11 search dogs to comb the area for any sign of Ruiz, and the crews left empty-handed.

“Our heart says that she’s not here, and I think the heart of a mother does not make a mistake,” Ruiz’s friend Noemi Montanez said.

Witnesses say Ruiz might have been “not in her right mind” when she disappeared.

Police say Ruiz was in a parked car and she got out, left her purse, keys, cellphone and shoes in the vehicle and went running across a bridge toward the pointe.

“There was no reason for her just to run away. She was a very happy person,” Ruiz’s friend Jessica Spinonez said.

Police say Friday’s search was likely their last unless they come up with more clues. Authorities said they will continue to work on the investigative side of the case.

Cox Media Group