Cleveland Missing is a volunteer-led organization co-founded by Gina DeJesus and Sylvia Colon.

In 2004, while walking home from school in her Cleveland neighborhood at age 14, Gina was abducted. She was held against her will for nine years before escaping with two other women on May 6, 2013. Her story is known around the world and ignited in her a deep passion for helping ensure that no child – no family – no person – should ever endure the anguish and pain Gina, her fellow escapees, and her family experienced.

Sylvia Colon is Gina’s cousin and a social activist in Cleveland. Her family’s experience with Gina’s abduction inspires her to help other families navigate the unimaginable experience of having a loved one abducted or missing. Sylvia earned her Masters in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and has extensive professional experience.

Gina and Sylvia work closely with a carefully selected board made up of professionals with a deep commitment to building and sustaining safer communities and to ensuring that no family is alone in their darkest hours. Through smart partnerships with groups like the Northeast Ohio Amber Alert, the Hue Jackson Foundation, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and more, Cleveland Missing is on a path to save lives.