LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — For 20 years, Ann Brady has been searching for her cousin Sheryl Rucci, who vanished without a trace in 2005.
"I have been seeking answers for 20 years," Brady said.
Rucci was last seen on August 9, 2005, at her apartment complex off Lincoln Avenue in the city of Lockport, where she lived with her 8-year-old daughter.
"Something bad happened to her, and we have not seen her since," Brady said.
WATCH: 20 years later, family still searching for answers in Sheryl Rucci's disappearance
When she disappeared, Rucci was scheduled to testify against her ex-boyfriend, Roger Hueber, who was charged with sexually abusing several teenage girls. Her cousin told me Sheryl was struggling to get her life back together after leaving Hueber.
"She may have been involved in some bad things, but she didn't deserve this," Brady said. "And her daughter didn't deserve to lose her mother."
Hueber was later convicted on the sexual abuse charges, but no one has ever been charged in connection with Sheryl's disappearance.
As the 20-year mark of her disappearance approaches, Brady describes the emotional toll it continues to take on the family.
"It's usually a somber day," she said. "My aunt has a little garden in her backyard, a memorial to her. It's hard to go there. I get very emotional about it. I could cry right now because it's so sad. And we can't get answers. We can't get answers."
Captain Tracy Steen, who heads the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Niagara County Sheriff's Office, said Sheryl's case remains open. They recently searched a possible location for her.
"Someone out there knows something, and we need them to come forward and talk," Steen said.
"We had cadaver dogs from different departments that came out and worked with us," Steen said. "We actually searched the area twice, once in different seasons. Didn't come to any fruition."
Steen said it will take someone coming forward to crack this case.
"I'd love nothing more than to bring Sheryl home one way or another, bring her home for her family," Steen said.
Rucci's family asks anyone with information about what happened to Sheryl to contact the Niagara County Sheriff's Office at 716-438-3393.
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