Daughter Lily's desperate bid to find missing mum Katie O'Shea
LILY Parmenter searches every crowd for her mum's face. It's been a futile quest since her mother vanished on the Atherton Tableland almost five years ago.
"You spend every day looking through the crowds, thinking "Is that Mum?’," Ms Parmenter said.
"With every reported sighting, you're too scared to hope that it's her."
Ms O'Shea is among a missing persons list that has now exceeded 50 in North Queensland.
She was 44 when she was last seen at Atherton on December 29, 2005, while visiting her son and his pregnant wife.
Her disappearance sparked one of the region's biggest police investigations but few leads have emerged.
Yesterday, police renewed calls for assistance in the case as part of Missing Persons Week.
Ms Parmenter started a journal of every day events and special occasions, believing her mother would return soon.
"I write little letters to her," she said.
"I started writing it when she went missing.
"I'd hoped she'd come back and I could give it to her.
"There are the birthdays and anniversaries and Christmas. It's definitely bittersweet."
She said the heartache was unbearable and took comfort in the support of police and the strength of other families of missing people.
"If you don't stay on top of things, you'll go crazy," Ms Parmenter said.
"It doesn't get any easier - if anything, it gets harder."
"Every child needs their mummy."
Ms Parmenter believes someone is withholding the answers her family needs to move on.
"All I really want is for someone to put together a few pieces of this puzzle so we can find out what happened to Mum," she said.
Ms O'Shea disappeared after her son, who she was staying at Ravenshoe, gave her a lift to Jack St, Atherton, where she planned to play pool at a hotel.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Missing: Katie O'Shea was reported missing at Atherton in December 2005. Police have renewed calls for public help to find her during Missing Persons Week.
Sad: Lily Parmenter wants answers.
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