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Family demands answers in hit-and-run death of mother
Loved ones of Ruby Modesta Ortiz, a 33-year-old mother of four killed on the 118 Freeway, say an arrest in the hit-and-run hasn’t brought closure. Her family is pleading for the man last seen with her to come forward.
LOS ANGELES - A family is desperate for answers after a 33-year-old mother of four was killed in a hit-and-run on the 118 Freeway in Mission Hills.
Ruby Modesta Ortiz was found on the westbound lanes the morning of Friday, November 6. While the driver accused of hitting her has been arrested, her family believes there are still unanswered questions about what happened in the hours leading up to her death.
Her sister, Celeste Miranda, says the family is also hurt by social media posts making claims about Ruby's life and why she may have been on the freeway.
What we know:
Miranda says Ruby was a mother of four who had a home and a loving family. She strongly disputes social media claims that her sister was homeless or struggling with drug addiction.
"That she was a crackhead, that she was walking in the streets because she was homeless... no, she wasn't," Miranda said.
She says Ruby was deeply loved by her family. Miranda says the two shared a special bond and that she even baptized Ruby's firstborn child.
But Miranda says her sister had recently become involved with a man the family barely knew. She describes the relationship as toxic and says the family had concerns about possible domestic violence.
What they're saying:
Miranda says Ruby called their mother shortly before Halloween, distraught. Their mother also noticed bruises on Ruby's face, she said.
The family is now questioning what happened during Ruby's final hours.
Miranda says Ruby was with the man, known to the family only as "Jr," Thursday night, November 5. They were reportedly seen in an older-model white Honda Accord.
The following morning, after Ruby was struck and killed on the 118 Freeway, a car matching that description was found abandoned a short distance from where her body was discovered.
The family wants to know how Ruby ended up alone on the freeway. Miranda fears her sister may have been pushed out of a moving vehicle during an argument, although that has not been established.
"If they were fighting, you don't know... maybe he pushed her out of the car or they were fighting and she wanted to get away from the situation," Miranda said.
The family is asking the California Highway Patrol to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding Ruby's death.
Miranda says a CHP detective told her the department's Major Crimes Unit would look into the family's concerns about possible domestic violence.
What's next:
The family is pleading with Jr. to come forward and explain what happened.
"I want that person that was last seen with my sister to come forward and tell us what happened. Please give us answers, you were with her last," Miranda said.
Ruby's four children are also left with questions about their mother's death.
"Her kids have so many questions. They want to know what happened. Why was she there?" Miranda said.
Meanwhile, Justin Manuel Nepomuceno, the driver accused in the hit-and-run, has been arrested and is facing felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter charges. The family is also upset that Nepomuceno was released from custody on an ankle monitor.
For Ruby's loved ones, the arrest has not brought closure. They say they still need answers about what happened before she ended up on the freeway.
The Source: Information for this story came from an interview with Celeste Miranda.