‘Please don’t forget my child’: Colorado honors Missing Persons Day

DENVER (KKTV) - As of Friday morning, nearly 600 people are listed as missing persons in the state of Colorado. In honor of that continued search and pursuit of justice, February 3rd is Colorado’s Missing Persons Day.

Nearly 20 Colorado families gathered at Colorado’s state capital to honor their missing loved ones. One by one, the names of 589 people who are missing were read on the steps of the state capital, including the names of indigenous women and children.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation estimates that there are over 4,000 unsolved indigenous missing and murder cases.

“It is still something that a lot of people are not aware of,” Lynnette Greybull, a member of one of Colorado’s indigenous tribes, said. “You could talk to the average American and they don’t know that Native Americans are the most stalked, or murdered, or suffer domestic violence 50 times higher than the national average. These things are hard to talk about, but the more you talk about them, the more you are able to create the change.”

Colorado Missing Persons Day was first observed in 2016 after its establishment by Laura Saxton. Saxton is the mother of Kelsie Schelling, who went missing in Pueblo on Feb. 4, 2013.

“I think that’s one of the things that if you have a missing child or you know your child has died, you don’t want their memory to be forgotten that you almost just want to shout it from the rooftops, ‘please don’t forget my child,’” Saxton said.

The event is held to remind every mother, father, brother or sister that the search for justice is not finished. And while nearly every family present at the event was looking for closure, those who get it may never get to see their loved ones.

“It’s something that you probably see on TV or you do see on TV and you are like, ‘Oh, that will never happen,’ and then it happens to you,” Precious Hobson said. “And it’s a hard pill to swallow, you can’t even swallow.”

Sherri (wife) and Precious (daughter) Hobson lost a father and a husband. Precious told us she just wants to see her dad home again.

If you have any information involving a missing person’s case contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s Victim Assistance Program at 303-239-4649 (303-239-4312 Spanish).

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