Family, friends and loved ones of Yasmin Acree marked the fifth year of her disappearance Tuesday with a prayer vigil at the girl’s Austin home.
Her legal guardian, Rose Starnes, who’s often referred to as her mom, and other family members, also spoke to media Tuesday at the family’s Congress Parkway home.
Yasmin Acree was last seen in the early morning of Jan. 15, 2008. An honors student who is close with her family, Yasmin was 15 years old when she disappeared. Police initially ruled that she was a runaway, which her family insisted was out of her character. Police later stepped up their investigation as a missing person’s case. Starnes and other family members believe she may have been abducted from the home, sitting broken locks and jarred-opened doors inside and around the property.
Yasmin turned 20 years old on Oct. 25, 2012. Her loved ones gathered at that time to remember her on her birthday and again on Tuesday to mark the fifth anniversary of her disappearance. Starnes and other family still hope that Yasmin will be found. The 20-year-old was a freshman at Austin Polytechnical Academy and a member of Greater St. John Bible Church, where her cousin, Ira Acree, is pastor when she disappeared.
A $7,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides information leading to her discovery. Yasmin’s case has also been featured on TVOne’s Find Our Missing.
- Yasmin Acree went missing Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008
- She was 15 years old at the time of her disappearance; she is now 20.
- Yasmin is 5 feet 1 and weighs around 125 pounds.She has black hair and brown eyes.
- Anyone with information should call Chicago Police Area 5 Missing Persons: 312-746-6399. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com), 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
