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“It is just another reality check of how many people are going through this,” says Diana Weiss. Her sister vanished in 2000.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Each year, it is estimated 600,000 adults are reported as missing. The wait for answers for some of those families can be agonizing.
Feb. 23 is Florida Missing Adults Day in Jacksonville and families gathered to remember their loved ones and lean on each other for support.
Pictures lined a semi circle in the atrium of the Jacksonville city hall. Behind each picture: a story and a family.
Diana Weiss says she thinks about her sister, Yvonne Belcher, every day.
“It is just another reality check of how many people are going through this and how many people are missing and still out there,” she says.
Yvonne disappeared just before Christmas in 2000.
Just down the row, Angie Campbell stands next to her nephew, Mark Degner. He and his friend, Bryan Hayes, disappeared after leaving school in 2005.
In the audience, Paul Akridge’s sister clutches his picture. He was last seen in Clay County in 2021.
So many families, gathering together to put the spotlight back on these cases.
“Empathy is our guiding light today, it is the bridge that connects us, allowing us to share in the burden of loss and unyielding hope for answers,” said Ryan Backmann with Project: Cold Case.
Peg Rowan and her husband, John Rowan Sr., began Missing Adults Day in Jacksonville more than 14 years ago. Their son, John Rowan, was abducted from his home on February 23 of 2001 and was never seen again.
“It never leaves you, I wake every morning at 5 o’clock. My son was abducted at 20 past 5 o’clock. No matter what you are doing it is on your mind 24/7, every mother says the same thing,” Mrs. Rowan explained, “There is no going past it til your loved one is found.”
She says she is glad to see the support grow each year and as they shine the spotlight on these cases, she hopes it will shine as bright as possible so families can get answers. First Coast News Crime and Safety expert Ken Jefferson says investigating missing persons cases is like trying to put together a massive puzzle.
“It is a lot of work that goes into trying to find a person that has vanished out of thin air and you have to start from square one,” he says.
He says officers and detectives work diligently to put those pieces together, many coming to the event to show their support.
But for now these families wait and pray, that what was lost will someday be found.
