Thursday marks one year since the disappearance of Newport News woman Sherree Brown.
News 3's Kelsey Jones has kept in touch with Sherree's family, who tell her they remain desperate for answers.
"I just can't deal with this. Nobody knows how I feel," Sherree's mother, Sharon Sanford-Brown, told Kelsey with tears streaming down her face.
When Sharon walks into her kitchen, she says she gets a painful reminder from her calendar. She keeps track of every day that goes by without knowing where her daughter is.
The last time Sherree's family saw her was October 17, 2023. They reported her missing to Newport News police on October 24, 2023.
The family believes their daughter was kidnapped and attacked by a man who they say tried to assault her, just days before she was last seen. Their concerns about Sherree's disappearance were heightened by the fact that she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer.
Watch: A Newport News woman has been missing for a month. Her daughter says she was kidnapped.
It wasn't until 41 days later on December 4, 2023, that police issued an Ashanti Alert, also known as the Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert.
In her past reporting on Sherree's disappearance, Kelsey questioned police about their timeline to see if they believe an alert should have gone out sooner.
"I think in any case that you have, you can go back and say, 'Hey what could've been done differently?'" said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew. "I don't have a crystal ball to tell you that. I can tell you the information we have at the time."
Now, a year later, police tell News 3 there are no updates to share and the case remains under investigation.
Watch: Newport News parents beg public for help nearly 9 months after their daughter disappeared
Research shows people of color make up roughly 40% of missing persons cases—a reality the Black and Missing Foundation is working to fix.
"Families are having to hire private investigators. They're having to coordinate their own search teams and even hire people when they can't get the volunteers. They're having to create their own flyers because law enforcement's not creating them," said Derrica Wilson, the co-founder of the Black and Missing Foundation.
Sharon says she's all too familiar with taking matters into her own hands in desperation to find her beloved daughter.
"I show people pictures of Sherree every time I go somewhere and I tell them... 'My daughter is missing, have you seen her?'" said Sharon.
Sharon has an upcoming birthday on Sunday. She says she only has one wish.
"The nicest gift I could get is for Sherree to come home and I can see her and hold her. That would be the only gift I ask for my birthday," said Sharon.
This Saturday, October 19, Sherree's family is holding a candlelight vigil where she lived in Berkley Village to keep her name alive.
They hope someone has information about Sherree and comes forward.
