TX TX - Cristi Ruso 31, last seen @motel, bags w/clothes found on road in Dec, Jasper Co, 20 Oct 2021 *Arrest*

[Dargon335]

@GuyfromCanada thanks for sharing this update. Hopefully Cristi will be found soon.

The MSM report doesn't contain any new information about her disappearance but it's good to see the Buna community is still actively involved in searching for Cristi.

I've posted these before, but IMO there are a couple of important questions regarding her disappearance that have not been answered, at least not publicly.

- Why did Cristi asked to be dropped off by her aunt in in the 1800 block of Country Road 777 in Buna?

Since this is a rural residential area, with only a few scattered homes within walking distance, the most likely answer is that Cristi knows someone living in this area. So far I have not seen any information from MSM or LE giving the specific location where she was dropped off, but there are only a few homes in the '1800 block'.

- Were any of the clothes she was wearing when last seen match the clothing found in the trash bags in December, 2021?

All I've ever seen on this in MSM is that two bags of Cristi's clothes were found in wet trash bags a few months after she was last seen. AFAIK there's been no further information about these clothes, or where they came from, or if Cristi was wearing these clothes when last seen.

Since this is an active MP case, I'm assuming LE has more information than they've released.

 

[ashhouston]

who finds clothes on the road and calls police its weird to do why wouldnt you just think its trash and move on very strange to report bags of wet clothes. maybe search group found it or police did?

 

[Dargon335]

@ashhouston that is a good question. The only information I've seen about this is from this MSM report last December:

[...]
Now, family members tell KFDM/Fox 4's Angel San Juan that someone driving this afternoon on County Road 721 off of Highway 96, about four miles south of Buna, found two black trash bags that were soaking wet. Family members say inside those bags was clothing they have identified as Cristi Ruso's. The Jasper County Sheriff's Office is investigating.
[...]

Clothing belonging to missing woman found in trash bag on side of Jasper County road

I've seen no follow-up reports on how Cristi's clothing ended up there, or how/why they were 'soaking'. It's possible the bags had been sitting in that area for a while and rainfall made the bags wet.

I'm curious where these bags of clothing came from in the first place. It's possible they were left behind wherever Cristi was living before she went to jail, but again, we have no confirmed facts about this.

From my earlier post: Why did Cristi asked to be dropped off by her aunt in in the 1800 block of Country Road 777 in Buna?

I think the answer to this question could help get some movement in Cristi's disappearance. She must have had a reason to ask her aunt to drive her to that area. Since that appears to be a sparsely-populated residential area, with no businesses nearby, it seems logical to assume Cristi knew someone living in that area. AFAIK there have been no MSM or LE reports about why she wanted to go to there. MOO

 

[PommyMommy]

MAY 20, 2022

‘You Don’t Give Up Hope’: Texas Mom-of-2 Missing for Over 6 Months, Bags of Her Clothes Found Abandoned

Police continue to search for a missing Texas mother who disappeared last year in Jasper County. Cristi Ruso, 31, was last seen on October 21, 2021, off of County Road 777 in Buna. According to CBS 6, family members said bags of Ruso’s clothes was found a few months after she vanished, off of...

www.crimeonline.com

“You don’t give up hope,” Wilson told 12 News earlier this month. “I’m still waiting on a phone call. She would call me every week, and that hadn’t happened in six months.”

MAY 23, 2022

Mystery of missing mom who vanished 7 months ago after haunting find

A CHILLING discovery has reportedly been made linked to the disappearance of a mother-of-two who vanished seven months ago, family members say. Relatives of Cristi Ruso, 31, say bags of her clothes…

www.the-sun.com

[...]

Jasper county deputy Scotty Duncan still encourages anyone with information to come forward after seven months.

"We're following every lead," Duncan told 12 News.

"Any type of credible information that anybody might have, contact the sheriff. We're turning over every rock and doing everything we can."

[...]

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is encouraged to contact the Jasper County Sheriff's Office at 409-384-5417.

 

[dotr]

Jan 9 2023 by Robin Bradshaw, Hearst

Cristi Ruso 'missing person' from Jasper Co. family wants answers, ups reward

The missing person case of Cristi Ruso from Jasper County has left her family wanting...

www.beaumontenterprise.com

''The timeline of Ruso's last whereabouts was in late Oct. 2021, according to family members. Her family last saw her on October 22 when she was dropped off at the same residence she was last seen at on October 25. There is video footage of Ruso at a Dollar Tree store in Evadale, a 10-minute drive from Buna, on Oct. 23 with a group of friends. The last known sighting of Ruso was on Oct. 25, being dropped off again at the known residence located at CR 777 in Buna.

Two months later, in Dec. 2021, a black trash bag of Ruso's clothing and belongings was found closer to town on CR 721 in Buna. Family members could confirm the content in the bag were her clothing and belongings. ''

"(We) just want answers and some form of closure," Ruso's family explains. The family has increased the reward amount to $11,400 and is asking the public to come forward with any information or knowledge about Cristi Ruso.''

''Contact Officer Jason McClelland for tips or information on Ruso's disappearance at (409) 994-4778. ''

 

[Dargon335]

Thanks @dotr for posting this MSM link.

I've been following the case for a while, and this report does contain at least a couple of things I was not aware of.

''The timeline of Ruso's last whereabouts was in late Oct. 2021, according to family members. Her family last saw her on October 22 when she was dropped off at the same residence she was last seen at on October 25. There is video footage of Ruso at a Dollar Tree store in Evadale, a 10-minute drive from Buna, on Oct. 23 with a group of friends. The last known sighting of Ruso was on Oct. 25, being dropped off again at the known residence located at CR 777 in Buna.

AFAIK, the last time her family saw or heard from Cristi is when her aunt gave her a ride to that residence on CR 777 on 21 October, 2021. The specific residence/address has not been revealed in any MSM reports that I've seen. Also the name of the person(s) living there has not been revealed AFAIK. Logic suggests Cristi knew someone living there, hence her aunt giving her a ride to that location.

This report is the first time I've heard Cristi was seen after 21 October. Apparently Cristi was seen on video 'with friends' at a Dollar Tree store a couple of days after she was dropped off by her aunt at the residence on CR 777. Then on 25 October, someone (no name provided) gave her another ride back to this same residence on CR 777.

You would certainly expect LE would have interviewed whoever lives at that residence, as well as this group of 'friends' she was seen with at the Dollar Tree store. So far I've seen nothing about that in MSM reports.

ETA: Did LE release any images or video of Cristi at the Dollar Tree?

 

[dotr]

$11,400 reward being offered in case of missing Buna woman

Almost 15 months since the disappearance of Buna resident Cristi Ruso, her family has raised an $11,400 reward for information leading to the location of the 31-year-old mother of a

lufkindailynews.com

​

rbbm.​

'$11,400 reward being offered in case of missing Buna woman​

• By STACY FAISON/The Lufkin Daily News
• Jan 9, 2023 Updated 10 hrs ago''
• ''Ruso was last seen Oct. 23, 2021, on camera at a Dollar General in Silsbee, family friend Erin Wheeler-Wagner said. The last time Ruso’s family saw her was when her aunt dropped her off at Gum Slough on County Road 777 two days earlier.''

“A whole trash bag full of clothes, and they were soaking wet, and it had not been raining,” she said, adding that the bag did not appear to have been thrown or tossed from a vehicle but rather “placed” by the side of the road.
“The mail lady says she pays attention to everything,” she said. “They weren’t there, maybe the day before her route, and they were found the next day.”
Anyone with any information about Ruso is asked to call the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at (409) 384-5417. Callers may remain anonymous.''

 

[Dargon335]

“A whole trash bag full of clothes, and they were soaking wet, and it had not been raining,” she said, adding that the bag did not appear to have been thrown or tossed from a vehicle but rather “placed” by the side of the road.
“The mail lady says she pays attention to everything,” she said. “They weren’t there, maybe the day before her route, and they were found the next day.”

Yes, this could be significant. I believe earlier MSM reports indicated that two bags of Cristi's clothing were found near the road, rather than the one bag mentioned above, however IMO the interesting point here is that the phrase 'placed by the side of the road'. If someone wanted to actually dispose of Cristi's clothing, why not burn it or throw it into a dumpster in a remote location?

Why would clothing be placed near the road? Logic suggests that whoever placed the clothes in the bags and dropped them by the road may have wanted them to be found for some reason. What significance this may have in Cristi's disappearance is not clear at this time.

Did these clothes possibly come from a previous location where Cristi had lived before she was arrested?

 

[Dargon335]

If I'm reading this correctly, according to the arrest record from 9/22/21 Cristi's listed address at the time was on CR 335, which is east of Palestine, TX. Palestine is roughly 75 miles NNW of Buna, TX. However, the same arrest record indicates "STATES SHE IS HOMELESS".

Arrest Reports for 09/22/21

Was she staying there with someone temporarily? Did she have any clothes or other possessions stored at that home? It might be helpful to know more about that residence on CR 335. MOO

 

[Dargon335]

Also, do we know if LE checked the bag(s) and clothing for fingerprints or other potential evidence? I've seen nothing in MSM about that, only that the bag(s) were found along the road and were wet.

 

[yurintroubl]

Yes, this could be significant. I believe earlier MSM reports indicated that two bags of Cristi's clothing were found near the road, rather than the one bag mentioned above, however IMO the interesting point here is that the phrase 'placed by the side of the road'. If someone wanted to actually dispose of Cristi's clothing, why not burn it or throw it into a dumpster in a remote location?

Why would clothing be placed near the road? Logic suggests that whoever placed the clothes in the bags and dropped them by the road may have wanted them to be found for some reason. What significance this may have in Cristi's disappearance is not clear at this time.

Did these clothes possibly come from a previous location where Cristi had lived before she was arrested?

Perhaps Cristi had that bag of clothes with her and was waiting to be picked up at that spot by the road... and for whatever reason wasn't able/allowed to get in with the bag.

-OR-

Perhaps the clothing was placed by the road in an area where trash collection is usually set out... but whoever put it there was too early/late or on the wrong day for pickup... and the bag(s) remained where they were placed.

 

[Dargon335]

Perhaps Cristi had that bag of clothes with her and was waiting to be picked up at that spot by the road... and for whatever reason wasn't able/allowed to get in with the bag.

-OR-

Perhaps the clothing was placed by the road in an area where trash collection is usually set out... but whoever put it there was too ea

Thanks @yurintroubl These are valid points and should be considered. It would be helpful to know if the fingerprints found on the bag(s) belong to Cristi or to someone else.

At the time she was dropped off by her aunt at that undisclosed residence on CR 777, nothing was mentioned about Cristi having bag(s) of clothing in her possession. If this is accurate, and if Cristi herself at some point did have the clothing bag(s) in her possession, then IMO someone would have needed to give her a ride to some other location to gather these clothes. This could be possible, but if so, nothing about this has been reported in MSM so far.

IMO it's also possible these clothes were already stored at the residence on CR 777, which would imply Cristi knew the owner of the residence very well.

 

[LuckyJ]

I t

Yes, this could be significant. I believe earlier MSM reports indicated that two bags of Cristi's clothing were found near the road, rather than the one bag mentioned above, however IMO the interesting point here is that the phrase 'placed by the side of the road'. If someone wanted to actually dispose of Cristi's clothing, why not burn it or throw it into a dumpster in a remote location?

Why would clothing be placed near the road? Logic suggests that whoever placed the clothes in the bags and dropped them by the road may have wanted them to be found for some reason. What significance this may have in Cristi's disappearance is not clear at this time.

Did these clothes possibly come from a previous location where Cristi had lived before she was arrested?

I too feel as if they wanted these bags of clothing found. Whether it was for dupers delight reasons or something else, I don't know. But I feel the same as you

 

[PommyMommy]

JAN 12, 2023

‘Sweet soul’: Search continues for Jasper County woman missing 15 months

Cristi Ruso was last seen in Oct. 2021. Her loved ones aren't giving up.

www.kltv.com

[...]

They said Ruso’s aunt picked her up and brought her to her house the day she disappeared.

“Later that same day, on the 21st, took her and dropped her off at a location on County Road 777,” Wagner said.

Wagner said Ruso got a ride to the Silsbee area, “and was seen on camera on the 23rd at the Dollar General in Evadale.”

Ruso then got a ride back to Buna.

“Two witnesses place her at the same location on County Road 777 on the 25th. She was dropped off about 200 feet from the residence that she was originally dropped off at, but that person claims that they never saw her,” Wagner said.

[...]

“The family came and identified the clothes, and they were more or so placed there, then, thrown there, and they hadn’t been there long,” Wagner said.

[...]

 

[Dargon335]

Based on this latest MSM report and similar previous reports, IMO a couple of very important questions need to be asked:

- Who lives at this location on CR 777?
- Why did Cristi want to go there?

MSM isn’t providing any details about the specific house/location. Since LE hasn’t provided any names associated with that house it’s likely there are no official POIs at this time. MOO

 

[SimplyCass]

Cristi Ruso - Google My Maps

Cristi Ruso

www.google.com

Timeline based on articles here

10/20/21 - released from Jasper County jail
10/20/21 - seen at Garden Inn & Suites
10/21/21, unknown time - Ruso's aunt picked Cristi up from Garden Inn, took her to aunt's house
10/21/21, 4 pm - Aunt drops her off at CR 777
10/23/21 - seen at Dollar General in Evadale with friends (CCTV footage)
10/25/21 - dropped off around 200 feet away from CR 777, but person living there says they didn't saw her

If I'm reading it correctly - if there are no errors in the reporting - there was an entire day between when she was released from custody to when she was last seen?? Nobody has mentioned it.

Thoughts/ideas/questions
- The distances from the mentioned locations seem pretty far from each other. (Particularly the jail, which is about 40 miles from the Garden Inn.) IMO, Cristi would need a phone to coordinate all that.
- Who was holding the bags of clothes while Cristi was in jail? If I had to guess, it would make the most sense if it was one of the persons who gave Cristi a ride. Scenario: she gets out, calls that person, he/she gives a ride, and she gets the bags on the way to the Garden Inn or some other location.
- Most of the locations - the Garden Inn, the Dollar General, the clothing found, the 1800 block of CR 7777 - are all off/very close to Highway 96.
- I wonder if there are more than just clothes in those bags. Seems kinda odd. It would definitely give us a better clue or idea of how important those items were. IMO it's unlikley that she just left voluntarily but it seems very odd in general to leave bags of clothing on the side of the road like that.

 

[Dargon335]

@SimplyCass - Good summary of the timeline here. While researching her disappearance I've wondered several times about Cristi's release from Jasper County jail. Specifically how that was coordinated, who picked her up when she was released, etc. None of the LE or MSM reports I've seen mention that. IMO it seems logical that a friend or family member would have picked her up from jail but we don't know that for certain.

Regarding Cristi's clothing, it's been reported in MSM that either one or two bags of clothing was found, depending on the source of the report. At this time it's unclear how the bag(s) arrived at the location where the clothing was found, or what the significance of the clothing might be.

When I read the initial reports about the clothing being found along the road, my original thinking was that someone discarded them in that location. However, given the fact that the bags were very close to the road and certain to be spotted fairly quickly, I'm now thinking it's possible the clothing may have been placed there intentionally for some reason. If someone actually wanted to dispose of or destroy Cristi's clothing, then the clothes would likely have been burned, buried, hidden in a dumpster, or at least disposed of in a very remote location. That is MOO.

It would be helpful to know exactly where on CR 777 Cristi was dropped off on 21 October, and what may have been discussed by Cristi and her aunt during the time they spent together that day.

 

[PommyMommy]

Cristi Ruso - Google My Maps

Cristi Ruso

www.google.com

Timeline based on articles here

10/20/21 - released from Jasper County jail
10/20/21 - seen at Garden Inn & Suites
10/21/21, unknown time - Ruso's aunt picked Cristi up from Garden Inn, took her to aunt's house
10/21/21, 4 pm - Aunt drops her off at CR 777
10/23/21 - seen at Dollar General in Evadale with friends (CCTV footage)
10/25/21 - dropped off around 200 feet away from CR 777, but person living there says they didn't saw her

If I'm reading it correctly - if there are no errors in the reporting - there was an entire day between when she was released from custody to when she was last seen?? Nobody has mentioned it.

Thoughts/ideas/questions
- The distances from the mentioned locations seem pretty far from each other. (Particularly the jail, which is about 40 miles from the Garden Inn.) IMO, Cristi would need a phone to coordinate all that.
- Who was holding the bags of clothes while Cristi was in jail? If I had to guess, it would make the most sense if it was one of the persons who gave Cristi a ride. Scenario: she gets out, calls that person, he/she gives a ride, and she gets the bags on the way to the Garden Inn or some other location.
- Most of the locations - the Garden Inn, the Dollar General, the clothing found, the 1800 block of CR 7777 - are all off/very close to Highway 96.
- I wonder if there are more than just clothes in those bags. Seems kinda odd. It would definitely give us a better clue or idea of how important those items were. IMO it's unlikley that she just left voluntarily but it seems very odd in general to leave bags of clothing on the side of the road like that.

Thanks for the timeline, Cass.

I am wondering...

1. Did the bags of clothing also contain shoes?
2. On which of those dates was she seen with no shoes?

Southeast officials, family members searching for Cristi Ruso
...she was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, dark shorts, and socks with no shoes.

MOO

 

[Dargon335]

Yes, the clothing found in one or more bags along the road. IMO we could use more information about these items.

IIRC, we've never seen much reported about these clothes from MSM or LE, except they were gathered in a trash bag and wet at the time they were found. I believe someone in Cristi's family (her aunt perhaps) identified the clothes as belonging to Cristi, but where they came from, who dropped them there, and why they were left in that location hasn't been addressed in MSM from what I've seen so far.

As I mentioned previously, if someone wanted to hide or destroy Cristi's clothing, then it's unclear why they were placed in a trash bag and dropped along the road.

MOO, but it's possible the clothes may have been dropped off along the road in a panic moment, or possibly someone intended for the clothes to be found.

I've seen nothing reported about the bag(s) being tested for DNA, fingerprints, etc.

 

[Silverlabs]

Big update. FBI searching house related to this case right now. This case is local so I wanted to update here. DEVELOPING: JCSO and FBI searching property in Cristi Ruso disappearance