Nebraska families gather to commemorate Missing Persons Day

On the north steps of the state capitol, dozens of people braved the cold rain and occasional roll of thunder Friday morning to commemorate the second annual Nebraska Missing Persons Day.

Law enforcement officers and family members read the names of missing persons across the state, including some who haven’t been seen since the 1970s.

Family members gave heartfelt speeches about the importance of awareness for missing persons. Some even performed original songs, shaped by their experience of having a loved one go missing.

The event was held 25 years after Gina Bos was last seen leaving a pub in downtown Lincoln in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 2000. She has been missing ever since and her case remains unsolved.

Her sister, Jannel Rap, founded the "GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation" in her honor and advocated for a state holiday in Nebraska.

Rap said she’d called senators for two years and was told no, until she walked into State Sen. Danielle Conrad’s office.

“When the families approached my office to see if we would take up this issue, it was an issue that really wasn’t on my radar screen,” Conrad said. “As I learned more about it, it seemed appropriate to move forward to make Nebraska a leader in this commemoration.”

Conrad introduced a bill during the 2024 spring legislative session to declare Oct. 17 as Nebraska Missing Persons Day. It received unanimous support from the Legislature and was later signed by Gov. Jim Pillen.

“That goes to show you, even in this moment where our politics are so fraught, we still have the power as citizens to come together and to make a positive difference, and we should never devalue our voice,” Conrad said.

Lonnie Goodrich, the father of Tyler Goodrich, a Lincoln man who was missing for more than a year before his body was found in February, was among those who spoke in favor of the holiday at the capitol. He also attended Friday’s event.

“I want you to understand that this day is impactful,” he said. “This is a great day for any of us who have had to suffer this journey.”

While addressing the sparse crowd, Goodrich encouraged the attendees to connect with each other and work to grow the event in future years.

“I envisioned this place being filled because there's so many people who have been inflicted with this terrible loss of a child, a loved one of any type that has gone missing,” he said. “That's not the case. We're a small group. That doesn't lighten the impact, but it doesn't also send the powerful message that needs to get out there.”

Sgt. Brett Schrage with the Omaha Police Department said Nebraska is one of only two states to have a day for missing persons and that the publicity can help departments make progress in solving cases.

“I've been working missing persons cases for the last six years, and I can tell you, especially once they go past that first week, that month into years, it's very easy for these cases to get lost in the sands of time,” he said. “To have a day like this to help highlight missing persons cases and bring them back up in the attention of the media and in the community is incredibly important to generating new leads to help us try to solve these cases.”

According to the Nebraska State Patrol website, there are more than current 330 missing persons cases in the state.