ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)—The Center for HOPE announced it will host the 21st New York State Missing Persons Day on April 6 to support and educate families still searching for loved ones.

Whether they’ve been missing for two days or 26 years, parents like Mary Lyall never forget their child.

“A lot of people say great things about their kid, but she was that kind of a kid,” Mary said. “She was a very happy person. She worked at Crossgates Mall, and all of the customers always said she was very friendly and outgoing.”

Her daughter, Suzanne Lyall, disappeared at the University at Albany in 1998.

“She was only 19 when she went missing, but she started writing poetry when she was very young. I don’t know where she got it from,” Mary said.

Suzzane is still missing, but Mary said she finds inspiration to keep moving forward in the words “Suzy” left behind.

“We all hope for the hopeless. Climbing stairs when you can’t see the top,” Suzanne wrote in one of her poems from 1994.

Mary and her husband, Doug, created the Center for HOPE in 1999. The 501(c)3 organization provides support services for families and friends of those struggling with a loved one’s disappearance.

“It’s easier to talk to me or somebody they know that has a missing person than it is to talk to the guy on the street because they don’t understand!” Mary said.  

The Lyall family initiated Missing Persons Day in New York, which Governor George Pataki signed into law in 2001. April 6, 2024, will mark the 21st year of the event. On Suzanne’s Birthday, families will gather at the NYS Museum and Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue.

“It’s a family you never want to belong to, but it’s great because we can help each other,” Mary said.

This year, Mary has invited former New York State Police Senior Investigator Tom Aiken to speak to the gathering.

“For 30 years, I kind of devoted myself to giving a voice to those that couldn’t stick up for themselves and going after bullies,” Aiken said.

After working on over a thousand cases—from murder and missing persons to child abuse—Aiken has a lot to share with those still searching for a family member.

“Never let the memory or the work to find your loved one go stale,” Aiken said. “Keep in contact with the investigator that is working on your case. Let them know you’re still there.”

Mary said she’s never given up on finding the “missing puzzle piece” that will solve her daughter’s cold case.

“I hope it happens in my lifetime,” Mary said. “it didn’t happen in my husband’s lifetime, but I hope it will happen in mine.”

Families who want to attend Missing Persons Day must submit a photo and information on their missing person to the Center for HOPE at hope4themissing@yahoo.com by March 25 to participate in the morning program.

The afternoon program at Huxley Auditorium is open to the public. It will include presentations from Professor Christina Lane regarding the Criminal Investigation Resource Center (CIRC) Program at Russell Sage College and Aiken.

Aiken will give attendees a unique law enforcement perspective on missing persons cases. He will also share the story of a cold case he worked on in 1972 that eventually led to a conviction in 1995.

“So what’s Mary and all the other ones seeking with their missing loved ones? The truth.”

The closing ceremony will be at the Remembrance Monument at 3:30 p.m. for all to attend.