By Isabelle Zehnder
PARSONS, Tennessee (Isabelle Zehnder reporting) -- Holly Bobo’s parents and brother broke their silence Wednesday evening and issued a plea to anyone with information about Holly’s abduction.
“Anyone out there who has any information, no matter how small you think it is,” Holly’s brother, Clint Bobo said during an exclusive interview with WBBJ, “please, come forward with it and turn that in to authorities.”
Officials say they have no reason to believe Holly has been taken from West Tennessee, giving her mom, Karen Bobo hope her daughter can hear her now. “We love you and we miss you so much. We’ll never give up until you’re back home with us,” Karen said.
Officials and Holly’s family believe someone, and possibly more than one person, knows what happened and are just afraid to come forward. They need to come forward and stop the nightmare her family has lived through for the past 10 weeks.
Holly’s cousin, country singer Whitney Duncan, understood how they feel and said just days after Holly went missing, “Lord have mercy I feel like I’m walking in a nightmare.”
Ongoing investigation & why the TBI is withholding some information
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is the lead agency working Holly’s case. They are assisted by local, state, and federal agencies including the FBI. In an effort to be sure nothing has been missed they have just brought in new investigators to provide a new set of eyes and to re-interview potential witnesses. This is common practice in missing persons' cases that are not quickly solved.
The TBI has been criticized for not releasing more information to the public. Information, they say, that could damage the integrity of their investigation.
It is common practice for officials to withhold certain pieces of information in missing persons' cases. They are the professionals, they know what should and should not be released. Certain information they have may only be known by the abductor or those who are privvy to information about the abduction.
Releasing too much information only serves to muddy the waters when officials are performing interviews with potential witnesses.
The TBI said tips are still called in daily and up to 10 agents are assigned exclusively to Holly’s case at any given time.
TBI issues warning to the public
The TBI is warning those who are trying to help to steer clear of websites and well-wishers who imply they are assisting in the investigation because agents say they’re not. Tips, the TBI said, should only be sent to them at 800-TBI-FIND.
WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News flashed “Tony Calabrese: False Leads” on the screen. The TBI has warned the public that Calabrese is not working with them or the FBI, and that instead he has interfered with their investigation.
If people really want to help Holly’s family, and help bring Holly home, they will stop spreading rumors and start sharing information that will help bring her home.
Holly's family won't stop looking for her until she's found
This family has spent the past 10 weeks agonizing over Holly’s abduction. They need answers - they need Holly back home with them. They continue holding onto the hope that Holly is still alive.
Clint said, “I’m getting by day-by-day. I’m doing OK.” He wears pink bracelets around both wrists to keep his sister close at all times. “It’s my new normal. I wear these because this is my life now. This is what I do.”
Clint is referring to the time he spends out in the woods with his father, Dana Bobo, searching for Holly.
Dana said, “We get a little sleep and do a lot of searching.”
Not a moment goes by that the family is not thinking about Holly or doing something to help bring her home.
Dana had to return to work several weeks ago but that isn’t stopping him from searching for his daughter. He and Clint go out into the woods evenings and weekends hoping to find something that’s been missed.
Karen, Holly’s mom, is overtaken with grief and pain and says she has to keep a photo of Holly close at all times. During her initial interview, Karen had said, “We love her so much. You just don’t know, she’s just so precious.”
Holly is the 20-year-old nursing student who was abducted from outside the Bobo’s Darden, Tennessee family home around 7:30 a.m. on April 13.
Clint was awakened by a dog barking. He went to the window and saw Holly being led into the woods by a man dressed in camouflage clothing. He believed the man was Holly’s boyfriend.
It wasn’t until Clint went outside a short time later and saw blood on the ground that he became alarmed and called 911. Within moments, law enforcement was on the scene and by the end of the day Decatur County Sheriff Roy Wyatt said some 150 local, state, and federal officials were working on Holly’s case.
There is currently an $85,000 reward for the return of Holly Bobo and the arrest of her abductor. If you have any information that could help investigators you’re asked to call the TBI hotline at 1-800-TBI-FIND.
More on this story:
Click here for details on Holly’s abduction and links to articles about Holly’s case written by this National Missing Persons news writer.
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