For the 11th year, families gathered at Missing in Southeast Texas Day to seek answers in the search for their missing loved ones.
HOUSTON — On Saturday, the Texas Center for the Missing hosted its 11th annual Missing in Southeast Texas Day.
The event brought together families in the greater Houston area, under one roof, as they continue to search for missing loved ones.
For attendee Angelica Duran, the past two months have been filled with unanswered questions. She told KHOU 11 News that her brother, 38-year-old Mark, walked out of her father’s home on the morning of March 5 and never returned.
“He’s a very shy person, a homebody, that’s why we’re very concerned,” Duran said. “We’ve not heard from him. My dad hasn’t heard from him. We haven’t heard anything from anyone.”
Duran explained that Mark requires long-term care and regular medication for a mental health diagnosis. She said those factors make his disappearance even more alarming.
“It’s been tough on my family. We’re just hoping and praying for the best,” she said.
Attendee Edward Diaz said that he’s been waiting for justice for nearly a year after his 22-year-old daughter Angela disappeared.
“She was a loving daughter, she was young,” Diaz said. “I want justice for my daughter. I want closure.”
According to Diaz, police told him the case is now being investigated as a homicide. However, Angela’s body has still not been found. Diaz said early investigative delays may have cost them critical evidence.
“I tracked her phone and found cameras that could’ve shown where she was,” he said. “But I was told that police had to request the footage. They never did.”
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At the Missing in Southeast Texas event, families were provided with resources to move their cases forward. These included voluntary DNA collection, helping file missing persons reports and a panel on using social media to search for the missing.
“They’re here to make that connection,” said Melissa Rangel with the Texas Center for the Missing. “That is the hope for today, to get answers for our families and provide the support they need to continue the search.”
As of this year, 480 unidentified people are currently buried in indigent cemeteries across Harris County, according to the officials. A stark reminder of why reporting a missing person and collecting DNA matters.
“We’re trying to decrease those numbers of individuals being buried as unknown because nobody ever filed a missing person’s report,” Rangel said.
If you are missing someone you love, the Texas Center for the Missing said you don’t have to wait to file a missing persons report. If you’re in need of resources, you can call the organization at (713) 599 – 0235 or visit them online.