DARDEN, TN— Pouring rain and lightning didn't slow the search for a missing west Tennessee nursing student. Holly Bobo was abducted outside her Decatur County home in April of 2011. Saturday morning, about 100 volunteers from across the country, searched deep in the woods for clues.
A North Carolina search team, called “Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons,” organized the event. Volunteers from all over the country were in west Tennessee to find Holly Bobo.
"I think what some people really don't realize that we've never stopped looking for Holly,” said Holly’s mother Karen Bobo.
Holly Bobo's family says they do their own searches, covering hundreds of miles almost every weekend.
"This is our new life. This is what we do now,” said Holly’s father Dana Bobo.
This weekend the family got a little help.
"We have 18 units from about 5 different states,” said the CUE organizer Monica Caison.
This is the third time CUE has come to Tennessee in hopes of finding Bobo. The group teamed up with deputies from Carroll, Henderson, and Benton Counties. Volunteers searched a wooded area that’s never been looked at in Carroll County.
"We haven't found anything significant yet in the search but we're just continuing to cover ground,” said Caison. “We're still at a good point. We've had recoveries 7, 8, 9, 10 years or more so I'm not discouraged by 15 months."
The 20 year old nursing student disappeared in the woods behind her home with a man dressed in camouflage. Investigators found Holly's blood on the family carport.
“I think she's still alive. All of us still think she's still alive. We've done a whole lot of searching. We've not found anything that's showing us that she's not alive,” said Holly’s father.
Several K9's were also brought in from different parts of the country. Surprisingly, their handlers say the rain makes it easier for the dogs to track scents. Despite the rain, mud, and months that have gone by it is love that keeps this community's spirits high and the belief that one day Holly Bobo will come home.
"Like what I've always said I just can't give up on Holly and she wouldn't give up on us,” said Holly’s mother.
There is still a $250,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of Holly Bobo. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is offering a separate $85,000 reward.
