September of 2017 marks 21 years since Gina Ujczak disappeared.
Gina's mom, Linda Szczepanek, says, "She was beautiful, she'd light up a room. She had a beautiful personality."
Gina is a Dearborn HS graduate who was part of a loving family, but had been struggling
with drugs. Her sister, Rosie Conn, believes right before Gina disappeared, she'd gone to a known drug house in Detroit on Roselawn near Tireman. At the time, Gina was 25 years old and Rosie was 13.
"I remember that she was going out. She didn't really say a whole lot about it, but that she'd be returning that evening, that's what I understood, that I would see her later that night. Then, she didn't come home," says Rosie.
For a long time, Rosie and her mom, Linda, didn't want to think about what may have happened to her. However, after time passed, the gut wrenching likelihood started to settle in.
"She would never not call my mom, miss birthdays, holidays, Christmas. She would never be able to stay away from those things," says Rosie.
Rosie and her mom believe Gina is dead and may have been murdered. Not knowing what happened to her is hard enough, but not having her back is an even deeper pain.
"Someone could have discarded her like trash. It's horrible because she was good. She was loved, and just because someone else didn't see her good or love her the way we did does not mean she should be out there alone," says Rosie.
Even though it's been more than 2 decades since they've seen Gina, they are pleading for help from the public to figure out where she is.
"I just want her home and with us. To have a memorial or something for us to say we love you, you can rest in peace now," says Rosie.
Gina's mom says, "I want her to go like most people are able to go, with people together that love them to say good-bye."
They both believe that someone out there knows what happened to Gina and are begging them to call in with a tip. It would mean everything to Gina's family.
"I need help. My family needs help," says Linda.
"If you were in the area where she went missing from, you may have seen her or something, just one phone call could change my family's life," says Rosie.
If you have any information on what happened to Gina Ujczak, please call Crime Stoppers. You can remain anonymous. The number is 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
