JACKSON, MI – It’s been one year since Tanova Ross’ family last saw her — and they still have no answers as to what happened.
The family knows little more than they did Feb. 2, 2020, when Ross, 33, was last seen at America’s Best Value Inn, 830 Royal Dr., in Blackman Township, mother Tinny Ross said. Ross left all her belongings in the motel room, including her phone and wallet, Tinny Ross said.
Her foot might have been found in the Grand River in September, but the family is still waiting to hear the results of a DNA test, which may take six months, Tinny Ross said.
“Like this foot, is it my daughter’s?” she said. “Is it? Or is it not? I shouldn’t have to wait this long to get an answer.”
In the meantime, her family is left grappling with her absence. Ross never went a day without talking to her now-15-year-old daughter, family said.
“It’s unbearable,” said father Linnie Ross. “It’s crazy, every day I wake up, ‘Where’s she at? Why would she leave her daughter?’ Unless somebody’s holding her or has killed her, they wouldn’t have been able to keep her away from (her) daughter.”
About 35 people gathered Tuesday night to demand answers for unsolved missing person cases and murder cases. They released balloons that said, “Forever in hearts” and lanterns with personalized messages into the night sky Feb. 2, alongside the Grand River near the intersection of Pearl and Mechanic streets.
The family of Cameron Kasprzycki joined the memorial. Cameron, 14, was fatally shot Feb. 21, inside his home in the 500 block of Orange Street. No one has been arrested in the case.
“We know as much as we did when it first happened,” sister Makenzie Kasprzycki. “We don’t really know anything. It’s like my brother’s lost in a file of papers.”
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The families say they just want answers and justice. It’s impossible to have closure and fully mourn their loved ones without those answers, they said.
“You got to have closure,” Linnie Ross said. “You got to have answers. … It’s hell.”
The lack of answers is intolerable, her family said. Police said they have no updates in the case.
People need to start demanding answers from police and elected officials, Ross’ sister Tamara Sherlin said. She organized the memorial in two days and plans to have more events once the weather is warmer.
“I didn’t want to just do it for mine,” Sherlin said. “I wanted to do it for the others... (My) heart bleeds for them.”
People need to recognize that the pain of losing a loved one without answers will affect everyone in some way, Sherlin said. She said asking for police and the justice system to solve these cases will help with future cases.
“It will be at their back door, no matter the economic status you have, no matter your background, it will affect you eventually,” Sherlin said. “I think as of right now, it’s affecting every area. We need to clean it up and it needs to start with the justice system. They’re public servants … They need to start doing their job. Now is a time we need to hold people in the justice system at every level accountable. They need to do the job they’re being paid for.”
Leaning on other families who are also looking for answers has been helpful, Whitney Kasprzycki said. The memorial allowed everyone to support each other.
Related: Family of teen shooting victim says they’re being harassed, plans memorial
Cameron’s family said they experienced harassing phone calls and texts in the months after his death. Those messages finally stopped, and his mother, Nicole Harris, was finally able to fully grieve in November, she said. She was looking through photos and realized it had been nine months since she could talk to him.
As they wait for answers, the families have to find ways to continue their lives. Tinny Ross hasn’t been able to sleep well and has lost weight since Ross went missing. She’s concerned about how the continued lack of answers will affect her physical health.
“My heart is broken in a million pieces that just keep breaking into more pieces,” Tinny Ross said.
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