HOUSTON — Several families from across Texas gathered in Houston Saturday afternoon in honor of National Missing Person's Day.
This year is also the 9th annual Missing Person's Day for the City of Houston as proclaimed by former Mayor Annise Parker in 2015.
The event held at the Children's Assessment Center on Bolsover Street near Kirby Drive was an opportunity for families to spread awareness and connect with resources that might help them.
Law enforcement agencies were also in attendance, along with a videographer doing testimony reels so families could share information about their missing loved ones.
Heartbreak is just one of the many emotions Monica Revis is feeling. Her cousin Shapammala Buckner was last seen in May 2017.
"It's honestly heartbreaking. Very reserved, young, making a life for herself," Revis said.
She was 20 years old when she was reported missing from her apartment in the Greenspoint area.
"It's still open and under investigation, but with no leads," Revis said.
CEO of the Texas Center for the Missing, Mel Turnquist, said they help law enforcement issue AMBER Alerts and Silver Alerts.
"We provide 24 hour care to help the families navigate not only reporting their loved one missing, but there’s steps they can take outside of the investigation," Turnquist said.
These are steps that Freddie and Fresha Montgomery have taken to find their mother, Joeann.
"It's, like, infuriating because you don’t know what direction to go, you know what I'm saying? You don’t know what to do, you can only do so much," Freddie Montgomery said.
These siblings learned Joeann has early signs of dementia, but they’re hoping someone has the key information to reunite them.
"I hope when you put it out there somebody see it and come forward, even if you’re somebody that knew her and taking care of her, you know what I'm saying?” He said.
These few families are among the many who want answers.
"Today is all about giving families the opportunity to get their missing loved ones in the public eye as best as we possibly can, because these cases that are cold, they're looking for new leads and they need the public's support and new information about where they might be," Turnquist said.
In 2023, the Texas Center for the Missing said they assisted 313 searching families. 94 families were reunited as a direct result of their work.