UPDATE: Sen. Dolores Gresham (R – Somerville), who represents Decatur County, issued this statement Tuesday:
“The pain the Bobo family is going through is unimaginable. I certainly understand their frustration, particularly in light of what looks to be missed opportuntities by local police in Cleveland to solve the case of the three missing women there. I would want to make sure that every stone is uncovered too. At the same time, I have seen no evidence to believe the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is one of the finest law enforcement organizations of its type in the country, is not pursuing this case capably and to the utmost of their ability. Yes, more eyes on the case may be helpful, but we must be careful that there are not too many cooks in the kitchen so the very important investigative work is not hampered. That being said, I would tend to lean upon the expert advice offered by the TBI in whether or not a task force should be organized.”
(Darden, TN) The family of a missing woman from Decatur County has started an online petition, requesting state lawmakers create a new task force to revisit all open missing persons cases in Tennessee.
The petition is online here: http://signon.org/sign/special-task-force-open?source=c.url&r_by=7774867
Karen Bobo is hoping for 10,000 signatures by May 25, which is International Missing Persons Day.
“We’ve never given up on Holly. We’ve never given up hope. Just trying a different approach,” Bobo said.
She said she knows TBI investigators have worked hard for the last two years, but that she hopes for a fresh set of eyes on the case.
“I don’t feel like I’m asking for anything that they wouldn’t ask for if it was their child,” she said.
In looking for a fresh set of eyes, the Bobos have also gotten help from private investigators.
Between them and perhaps a new state-sanctioned task force, she hopes someone will find the missing piece.
“There’s something missing. If there wasn’t, then we would have Holly,” she said.
The request for a new task force is not just for Holly, but for every missing persons case still open in Tennessee.
Karen Bobo hopes the state will call upon experts from all over the country, who specialize in cyber crime or profiling, among other things. She wants to see experts who have successfully solved other abduction cases.
She was inspired to find new approaches to her search, when she heard news of three women found in a Cleveland, Ohio home, after being abducted a decade ago.
One of the women, Amanda Berry, had cried out for help and found a rescuer.
Karen Bobo thought of what she always taught her children: ‘Don’t be a quitter.’
She hopes somewhere out there, Holly, like Amanda Berry, is fighting her way out.
Until then, she’ll continue to look for her daughter any way she can.
“When I lay down at night, I have to feel like that I’ve tried everything that I can.”
