After more than three years, a local woman is still searching for information about her missing daughter.
Thelma Pack said her daughter Sara Ashley Hill, now 37, went missing in late spring of 2019.
Hill’s last known address was in Patrick County, according to her sister April Cain.
However, Cain said the last time she talked with her sister, Hill told her she was on Blue Hollow Road, which is in Surry County, North Carolina. The last conversation between the two occurred around 1:30 a.m. on June 4 when Hill called Cain to ask for a ride.
“My oldest daughter got a call from her that she needed a ride, but my daughter (Cain) was working at the hospital at New Chatham, and she couldn’t leave at that moment. We haven’t heard from her since” despite numerous calls, texts, and social media messages, Pack said.
While Hill went missing in June, Pack said a missing person’s report could not be filed until July. “There have just been so many ups and downs about her lifestyle that we couldn’t really consider her missing yet,” she said.
Since Hill was last seen in Surry County, authorities in Patrick and Stokes counties are involved in the investigation.
Pack said when the investigation started, she said she felt like the sheriff’s offices were assuming that Hill was deceased.
“The guy she was last seen with, he winds up murdered, and when things like that start happening … they see how serious the whole situation is. It seems like no one wants to come out and tell us anything because they’re so afraid. It seems like all the people that she knew are I guess are kind of fearful by even knowing her,” she said.
Since her daughter’s disappearance, Pack started watching crime investigation shows.
“They say the first 48 hours is the most important, and those 48 hours were not even taken into consideration. That has really bothered me that we as family members rode up and down the road, we did everything we knew to do to even think about finding her, but to no avail,” she said.
Pack said her family searched in North Carolina and went through Elkin and Stokes County to find her daughter. “Everywhere I went, I also had my eyes open to see if I could see or hear of anything,” she said.
When the investigation first started, Pack and her family were cautioned about not playing investigator and trying to solve the case. While she’s been frustrated, Pack said her faith and her scripture have kept her strong over the years.
Pack said she thinks Hill has to hide right now and be out of sight.
“When the time is right, she’s going to reveal herself and let us know where she’s at and that she’s okay. I read some scripture where it said five years, give it five years, and I have that consolation,” she said.
Anyone with information about Hill’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact local authorities or the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office at (276) 694-3161.