Think of the person who means the most to you in your life. Now, think of what your life would be like if he or she suddenly vanished without a trace. That pain – the type of heart wrenching pain you can't truly know unless you have been in a similar situation - is all too real for the family of Corrie Anderson, a mother of three from Chautauqua County, NY, who went missing exactly one year ago today.
"It's been a very difficult year," Corrie's mother, Vickie Acquisto, said in an interview with Investigation Discovery. "We're a close knit family, and we really miss her every day.
Corrie was last seen at about 1:00 p.m. on October 28, 2008, when she visited her boyfriend at the Lake County Dodge dealership in Jamestown. Family members reported her missing at about 3:45 p.m. that day, when she failed to show up at her son's school for a meeting. Items found at Corrie's house suggest that she made it home some time prior to her disappearance; however, whatever happened to her after that remains a mystery.
Two days later, on October 30, 2008, a hunter discovered Corrie's minivan abandoned at a gas well off Kortwright Road in the town of Busti. The location is approximately two miles from Corrie's house.
"There's a hole in our lives and in our hearts," Corrie's cousin, Laurie Keefe, said. "Not knowing where she is or what happened to her is horrible. We cannot move forward with our lives, and yet life continues to move on around us."
The pain of not knowing has had not only a negative effect on Corrie's family, but also on the traditions that they once shared together.
"We can't do any more family gatherings in the dining room because it's too difficult without her," Vickie said.
While local authorities have conducted several searches for Corrie, her family has also taken it upon themselves to do everything in their power to locate her. In addition to hiring a private investigator in the weeks following her disappearance, they also enlisted the help of Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search and recovery organization headquartered in Dickinson, Texas. The group initially promised to lead a community search for Corrie in April 2009; however, just three days before the search was set to take place, they pulled out, leaving the family scrambling to find a replacement group to lead the hundreds of volunteers who had preregistered for the search. Luckily, 3 View Search Services, a new search and recovery group from Indiana, was able to step in and take over. Ultimately, they found no sign of Corrie, but it was certainly not for lack of effort.
"Corrie's case was the first one we worked together as a team after forming our organization," said Mandy Albritton, co-founder of 3 View. "We were disappointed when, despite the efforts of over 400 community volunteers, the search effort failed to turn up any sign of Corrie, but we remain committed to Corrie and her family."
According to Albritton, her organization is already planning a second search for Corrie, scheduled to take place in the spring.
"Corrie's children need to know where their mother is and that she would never have left them on her own," Albritton said.
Local and state officials have released very few details in Corrie's case and have declined to comment on the status of the investigation, other than to say that it remains a top priority. Despite the lack of comments from police, Corrie's family has no illusions as to the reason she is missing.
"It is a criminal investigation," Laurie said, adding, "We seek justice toward the person(s) responsible for taking her away from her family."
In the meantime, Corrie's family must continue to move on with their lives. They must also ensure that her children are cared for and that her youngest son, 7-year-old Zachery, never forgets his mother.
"Zachary saw her picture in the local paper this morning," Vickie said. "He looked up and said, "I remember that day -- we played in the leaves."
The investigation continues…
Corrie Anderson is 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, with green eyes and blonde hair. She was last seen wearing black corduroy pants, a black leather jacket, and small wire-rimmed glasses. Corrie's family is offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to Corrie's whereabouts. For more information, please visit: www.findcorrie.com.
Anyone with information regarding Corrie's disappearance or whereabouts is asked to call the New York State Police at (716) 665-3113.
Click here to read an article on the one year anniversary that was written by my friend and collegue, Robert Rizzuto.
Related Link:
Investigation Discovery: Full Coverage: Corrie Anderson
Photo Credits: Contributed
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