Less-Known Missing Woman's Family Desperate for Closure

June 24, 2005 — -- The aunt of Tamika Huston has tried -- in vain -- to bring sustained national media attention to the search for her niece for more than a year. And at this point, she and her family just want closure, no matter the outcome.

"I never thought that it would go on this long," said Rebkah Howard, a Florida-based public relations executive. "This has been incredibly difficult. Months ago, if you had told me that this would still be going on now, I would have thought you were crazy."

Huston, 24 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen June 2, 2004, at a friend's house in South Carolina. Because she lived alone, relatives did not realize she was missing until June 14.

"America's Most Wanted" and local media in Spartanburg, S.C., have covered the case. In the past month, Huston has become a symbol of missing person cases that are largely ignored by the national media as nationwide coverage of the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway continues.

Relatives and investigators searching for Huston appreciate any help. But Howard concedes the recent attention has been bittersweet.

"Law enforcements officials have received new clues recently and anyone in law enforcement will tell that that any media attention generates new clues," Howard said. "But it's also frustrating. You can't help but think that maybe if we'd received this kind of attention earlier, it might have helped."