BOISE, Idaho — More than 100 people are missing in the Gem State, per Idaho State Police. To bring recognition to the problem, ISP established Idaho Missing Persons Awareness Day, which is commemorated annually on Sept. 14.
"It was set aside back in 2006, as an executive order by the governor in awareness of all types of missing persons in Idaho," said Tanea Parmenter, manager of the Missing Persons Clearinghouse.
Kim Bosse, the mother of Krystyn Dunlap-Bosse, is someone who has been searching for her daughter for almost 30 years and knows the importance of bringing awareness to this ongoing problem.
The importance of this day is to remind the community that there are cases of missing people that are still unsolved, and many cases can drag on for months, years, or even decades, like in the case of Krystyn. She went missing in 1994 after saying she needed to "get away." However, it is likely foul play is involved in her disappearance.
One way Idaho State Police hope this awareness day can help is by getting the community involved.
"Sometimes we feel like they don't have any other resources, and it's all in the hands of law enforcement,” Parmenter said. “What we can do is keep sharing that information, distributing the posters of that person's face."
Bosse said keeping quiet is the worst thing anyone can do.
"That's something I’ve been guilty of the first several years, is not talking about it because it hurts,” Bosse said. “Talk about it. Let it out."
ISP said putting more eyes on some of these longer-lasting cases could help families and law enforcement find their loved one.
"Making sure that we recognize the victims and the victims’ families so they can have support,” Parmenter said. “Be able to keep that person in the forefront of the public and law enforcement minds.”
Bosse wants to make sure that other families in a similar situation to her and her family persevere, and continue searching.
"I want to encourage them, you know, it's almost been 30 years,” Bosse said. “Don't give up, keep pushing, something will come up. It will happen, eventually."
The family of Krystyn Dunlap-Bosse is hosting a public search in the desert, south of Boise near Pleasant Valley Road, on Sept. 23. Bosse hopes the community can go out and support their efforts.
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