RRSpin - Tree of remembrance planted for county's missing

Friday, 20 October 2017 14:22

Tree of remembrance planted for county's missing ^Featured

Written by Lance Martin

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Hines, left, watches as Roanoke Rapids police Chief Chuck Hasty, middle, and Martin, finish planting the tree. rrspin.com

One by one, hands held the shovel.

They were hands of family members seeking answers. They were hands of law enforcement trying to provide answers to those family members.

When the hole was deep and wide enough, hands grasped the trunk of the pink dogwood and planted it so it could serve as a reminder of four missing people in Halifax County, three of them still missing and one whose remains were found in March.

They gathered near the entrance of the Halifax County Courthouse this morning on land near the fallen officers memorial to plant the dogwood in remembrance of Shonda Stansbury, Jalesa Reynolds, Amy Bridgeman and Gary Joe Youngblood.

Kim Wallace, a friend of Bridgeman’s and an advocate for the missing in Halifax County, said it was the idea of her friend Leann Bryant to plant the tree. “We’re not going to let anyone forget them. The tree represents hope, hope for the family. We call it a remembrance tree,” she said.

As the entrance serves as the route where criminals are jailed and then taken to court, Wallace said, “We want it to be a place where justice is served. It’s going to be a site for justice.”

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Captain Bobby Martin of the Roanoke Rapids Police Department told those attending the ceremony, “We strive everyday to give resolution to the families … I know what the families are going through. I know each of our agencies feel the same. The phone lines are always open. You’re not alone. We want to make sure we give 110 percent.”

Halifax County commissioners allowed the tree to be planted, Sheriff Wes Tripp said. “We say thank you to the commissioners. They were not resistant one bit.”

Meherrin River Forest Products donated the tree and a monument is planned later. Commissioners already approved allowing a marker at the site.

Trinity OutReach Ministries pledged its support to the effort as did Concerned Citizens of Tillery.

Of those the tree will currently honor, Stansbury has been missing the longest, since 2006.

“It’s about 11 years. We love and miss her a whole bunch,” said her mother, Gloria Bedgood.

Stansbury’s sister, Joy, said following the ceremony, “It’s a place to be able to come and visit. It’s so hard day by day. It’s a symbol of hope — not just for her, but everyone.”

Reynolds has been missing since 2010.

Her uncle, Michael Hines, said the ceremony and the tree lets family members know they’re not not alone. “There’s still that void that won’t be filled. It’s easy to forget when you’re not affected by it.”

Hines said after the ceremony, “It means a lot. It gives us hope.”

Reynolds, he said, was always quiet and humble. “It’s a void. It’s hard to put into words. She was just starting out in life. Everything just stopped at once.”

Reynolds’ mother, Bernice Turnage said, “This is like a special moment.”

Her constant thought, she said, is, “Will I ever get an answer?”

Bridgeman has been missing since 2013. Wallace has served as her voice. “She doesn’t have a voice. I wanted her to have a voice. I just really don’t want anybody to forget her.”

Youngblood had been missing for eight months before his remains were found in March and positively identified in April.

The three other family members continue to await that closure. “My wish is everybody gets to come home,” Wallace said. “Joe’s family got to say their goodbyes and the others deserve that as well.”

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