HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Inside the Children’s Assessment Center, many spent their Saturday morning searching for hope.
For Crystal Lopez, that hope centers on one wish: being reunited with her son.
“Jonathan went missing in 2022, I believe. It’s been so long now,” Lopez said.
Four years later, she still remembers the exact day.
“January 14, 2022, from the 8700 block of Broadway by Hobby Airport.” Lopez recounted.
Despite the difficulty of the past few years, Lopez refuses to give up her search.
To help find her son, she, along with others looking for missing loved ones, turned to the Texas Center for the Missing, which hosts an annual event to help families navigate the search process.
“They can report their loved one missing, they can get their DNA swab, they can be entered in national databases. They can get age progression artwork done,” CEO Mel Turnquist said
Organizers said more than 20 agencies came together to make the event happen, giving families multiple paths when it comes to finding answers.
“Running the gamut from Moxy Forensics, which does DNA genealogy research, ourselves Texas Center for the Missing. We have podcasters here,” Turnquist said.
As the search process continues, some families are leaving the event not only with hope, but also with the support they need in the meantime.
“We’re a family here. It’s the club no one wants to belong to. We all kind of stick together and support each other, help each other out,” Lopez said.
This story comes from our news partner ABC13 Houston.