Damarys Ruiz, Miss Venezuela Contestant, Dies: Homeless For 15 Years, Damarys Ruiz Found Dead In Park


Damarys Ruiz, a former Miss Venezuela contestant, died after spending the past 15 years of her life homeless.

According to Mail Online, Ruiz rose to fame in the 70s when she entered the 1973 Miss Venezuela pageant. At five-foot-two, Ruiz wasn’t exactly typical model material, but she was very beautiful, talented, and smart. Although she didn’t win the crown, many people loved her, and many say that she had a great future ahead of her.

Rather than pursue a career in law (which is what she was educated in), however, she chose to take her life down a different path. She ended up moving in with her abusive brother and selling handmade items on the streets of Caracas.

Although Damarys Ruiz competed for the Miss Venezuela title, she died on her own years later. She managed to get away from her brother whom she said starved her regularly, but she had nowhere else to go. She was living on the streets since 2000, caring for herself the best that she could given her circumstances.

According to Scallywag & Vagabond, no one has shown up at the hospital to claim the body of Ruiz, which was found in a park. It is unknown how she died — if she starved to death or was murdered — but officials do believe that it was her body that was found. Local reports indicate that Ruiz’s brother has been contacted and that he has made arrangements to collect the body. However, he declined to comment publicly. It is unknown if there will be any kind of burial services for Ruiz in the coming days.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Rosalba Gomes, a woman who knew Ruiz for the past two years, had nothing but wonderful things to say about her.

“I saw her two or three times in the week and I talked to her for long hours. Her life ended up with great depression, without receiving support from her family or friends. She couldn’t see any way to escape the trap she was in. She was a beautiful woman inside and outside. My cute little old lady. This lady was wonderful, educated and a great conversationalist. She was a lawyer and studied several years in the university and had opinions about everything. I loved to listen to her and her stories, anecdotes, we talked about everything.”

It is unclear if authorities are investigating this case further.

[Photo via Twitter]

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