Missing Woman's Family Vows To Continue Searching: 'You Didn't Kill Our Spirit'
By Jamie Leary
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - The family of a missing Longmont mother continues to search for a sign despite four months with no trace of Rita Gutierrez-Garcia.
"All we want is just closure and to lay her body to rest, that's all we want. So if the person can just come forward and tell us that," said Diane Romero, Rita's mother.
Longmont police have identified a person of interest and say they no longer believe Rita is alive. While it's progress in the case, it's not good enough for Rita's family.
Gutierrez-Garcia disappeared on March 18, St. Patrick's Day.
On Sunday, her family organized their own volunteer-based search with a cadaver dog near the Union Reservoir Nature Area. They will head to the Boulder Mountains on Saturday to try again.
Rita's family says they will not give up. They recently designed t-shirts with photos of Rita hoping to spark conversation and keep the case alive.
With no sign of Rita, her family says they look for her when wherever they are, whenever they can.
"I'm like looking in fields and I go by a stream or a river and my mind goes to that place. Even when we're not looking we're looking and that's the maddening part about it." Said Romero.
Rita's family finds comfort in each other. Her mother and sister, Jessica, now share custody of Rita's two boys, Reyes, 9, and Roman, 12.
On Monday, the family spent time in Thompson Park at a tree where they first held a vigil for Rita. Four months later, ribbons and traces of notes are still left behind.
"Sometimes we still have hope that she's alive but you know, there's time that we face ya know she could be deceased." Said Romero.
Romero has a message for the person responsible for Rita's disappearance:
"I want you to know you didn't kill our spirit," she continued. "Like I said you know we've always been a family and we will always be."
The next search will take place on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at the Base-Mar Shopping Center in Boulder.
Jamie Leary joined the CBS4 team in 2015 and currently works as a reporter for CBS4 News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. She couldn't imagine a better place to live and work and will stop at nothing to find the next great story. Jamie loves learning about and hearing from her fellow community members, so connect with her on Facebook or Twitter @JamieALeary.
