Families gather to offer support and share grief during Houston Missing Person Day since
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Families who are desperately searching for their loved ones have turned to each other to offer support and share their grief.
Each of these families told their stories during Houston Missing Person Day.
"Life was so different. So, so different," Ofelia Gomez said about her daughter Jennifer Sanchez's disappearance.
Jennifer's ex-boyfriend was charged with her murder, but her body was never found.
"I don't even know where my daughter is at," Gomez said.
RELATED: Surveillance photos show Jennifer Sanchez with her husband on the last night she was seen alive
Gomez is not the only one. Others don't know if their loved ones are still alive. Like the family of Stephanie Merrell who went missing last August.
"I can feel her," said Stephanie's mother, Dana Semon. "I can even feel when she's being hurt, I can."
The event was created by Jo Ann Lowitzer, whose daughter Ali Lowitzer disappeared nine years ago.
RELATED: Where is Ali? Spring mom still fighting to find her daughter 8 years after girl's disappearance
"Everything I do is for Ali," Lowitzer said. "But if I can help any other families on that journey, then I can do that too."
The gather is a tragic bond they share. In the Houston region, it is estimated that 14,000 people are reported missing each year. Out of that count, 98 percent are found, leaving two percent of families waiting for their loved ones to return home.
