For families across the nation grappling with the unresolved disappearances of loved ones, the holiday season has become a period of profound anguish rather than celebration. These households marked by absence demonstrate remarkable resilience while clinging to hopes of reunion against increasingly grim odds.
Victoria Ferguson embodies this painful reality, having endured three endless years since her sister Rochellda ‘Dadah’ Woodside vanished during a routine walk home on August 11, 2022. The vibrant woman who once filled their home with laughter now exists only through haunting memories and an untouched bedroom. While holiday traditions continue, each Christmas dinner preparation and family gathering amplifies Rochellda’s palpable absence. Despite their grief, the tragedy has paradoxically strengthened familial bonds, with Ferguson noting they’ve grown closer through shared suffering.
The Woodside family has faced multiple tragedies, having previously lost Rochellda’s brother to homicide in 2017. His young daughters, who now inquire about their missing aunt, bear emotional scars from these compounded losses. A $5,000 reward remains offered for information, with another search operation planned for the new year. Remarkably, the family extends forgiveness to whoever might be responsible, seeking primarily closure and the opportunity for proper burial.
Similarly Tracey Carey’s world shattered when her son Kyle disappeared without trace on May 11, 2023. The now-23-year-old missed his recent birthday celebration with his twin sibling on November 14. Carey, who once embraced Christmas with office decorations and party planning, now finds the holiday unbearably painful. For the second consecutive year, she lacks the emotional capacity to erect a Christmas tree, describing the season as fundamentally altered without her son’s presence.
The Carey family maintains hope through a $25,000 reward billboard campaign, clinging to memories of their last Christmas together when the family was complete. Tracey acknowledges the psychological toll of not knowing her child’s whereabouts, emphasizing that no mother should endure such uncertainty.
Adding to these cases, Tashana Thompson navigates fresh hell since her son Devin Isaacs vanished from their home in May 2024 at age 16. Police issued a Marco’s Alert four days after his disappearance, later releasing CCTV footage showing Devin’s movements near Carmichael Road. Now 18, Devin’s absence leaves his mother emotionally devastated, struggling daily to maintain normalcy for her two other children while offering a $2,000 reward for information.
These families represent countless others suffering similar fates, their holiday seasons transformed into painful markers of time elapsed without answers. They share unified messages of perseverance through faith while pleading for public assistance in solving these mysterious disappearances.