Question G

[Jonetta]

One of the reasons Max investigates missing persons is because of her own personal experience involving her college roommate, Karen Richards. She believes that there is added anguish in not finding that person, even if they are almost 100% certain their loved one is dead. What do you think…does finding the body provide more relief than still having hope that there’s a possibility their loved one is alive?

[Anita]

The untimely death of a loved one is tough to begin with. Not knowing what happened and not finding their body is a whole new level of Hell for the family and friends.

[Sharon]

Without the body the family never stops grieving (that isn't the right way to put it as a parent will always grieve). They can't move forward from the loss. They can't rest with the certainty that their loved on isn't still out there somewhere. They don't have a grave site/urn or whatever to visit.

[Robin]

I think knowing that a person is dead is a lot different that wondering day after day about what happened to a loved one. When you have the body, the family can grieve and eventually move on. Without the body and the assurance that the person is dead, the many things that could have happened are always in the back of their mind. They may consciously know that their loved one is never coming back but it's always with them.

[Jonetta]

It would be hellish for me to be in limbo like that. If my loved one wasn’t dead, I’d be highly worried about what was being done to her or him. My imagination would run amok and it would never end. Having a resolution would indeed start the process of moving on. The grief never goes away but the pain lessens as part of that process of time elapsing.

[Sharon]

So true Jonetta. My heart breaks when I see families on TV searching for a missing person and not knowing where they are or what happened to them.

[Jonetta]

Same here, Sharon. I so admired John Walsh (America’s Most Wanted) who dedicated his life to finding missing children and the creeps that abducted them. He brought many families some much needed resolution.

[Melissa]

Personally, I would want them found. Not just for the confirmation, but also for any evidence it may contain and possible cause of death. Being able to bury a loved is better than an empty grave.