ALLEGAN, Mich. — There are over 24,000 missing person nationwide, and in Michigan, there are 600 open cases for people missing, according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
While many families search for answers year-after-year, they don't always get them. That's true for one woman and her family who have spent three decades looking for a loved one.
Friday, December 22 marks the 33rd anniversary since Richard "Richie" Hitchcock went missing after being at a bar in Allegan.
While the searches continue each year, his cousin is now, not only looking for him, but others too.
"He was escorted out of the bar, and then he was never seen again," said Kellie Boers, an advocate for the missing and CEO of the Venus Foundation.
Richie disappeared in 1990, and the last people who claim to have seen him said he was acting weird before he climbed an eight-foot fence by the Kalamazoo River.
READ: Allegan Man Vanished 22 Years Ago; Family Seeks Closure
His cousin, Kellie Boers, is now an advocate for the missing and doesn't believe that story.
"We did many, many searches over the years for him a lot when he first went missing and his body never came up, and it's believed that he just was a victim of homicide," said Boers.
His family and Kellie have not given up since, looking to bring justice to the person or people responsible.
"I started doing my own thing at about the 20-year mark when it was about 20 years when he went missing. I just was like this doesn't make sense as to why we don't have any answers," said Boers.
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Through a "Missing in Michigan" event, an organization connecting families of missing persons to law enforcement working on their cases, she met several advocates for the missing.
One of those people she met is Mary Hopkins, the founder of the Venus Foundation, and together for the last ten years, they hold an event called "Baby It's Cold Outside".
"There are missing people in the homeless community, and if we reach out to the homeless, and show them missing person flyers, we can ask them information, and they can help us find some of these people," said Boers.
The event offers cold weather gear like coats, hats and mittens in exchange for information.
"There’s a lot of reasons that people go missing. I mean, it can be health issues, maybe they have mental illness, maybe they have drug addiction, alcohol abuse, maybe it's a runaway, a teenager who's runaway, or an adult who just needs to get away," said Boers.
Since it's start, the nonprofit has been able to locate nearly two dozen people, but those people don't always want to be found. The Venus Foundation says they respect their wishes.
"If you're in our shoes where we've been waiting for 34 years, something can be better than nothing. It just depends on the way you look at it and how much it affects your heart," said Boers.
READ: Cash reward in Richard Hitchcock cold case doubles
Boers adds any information, even the smallest detail, can help when it comes to these cases.
"You never know what information you have that could break it wide open and help this help a family who is suffering, who's having a tragic moment you know?," said Boers.
On the 33rd anniversary of her cousin's disappearance, Kellie and her family keep putting in the effort to find him.
"We're real hopeful. We’re hopeful that someday we can have answers. We're also realistic. We know that there's a possibility that we won't get those answers," said Boers. "As long as I live, I'm going to keep talking about Richie. I'm going to keep seeing who will help me bring it into the public eye, so that we honor Richie's memory," she said.
Boers said tips continue to come in, even decades later, and they continue those searches doing at least one each year.
There is a $15,000 reward for anyone who leads their family to Richie's remains.
If you have any information on Richie's case or about other missing persons, contact your local law enforcement.
