Family, friends, and police are searching for a Plant City woman who disappeared a little more than a month ago.
Misti Whitfield, 35, of Plant City was last seen at about midnight May 1, at or near Nautical Marine on West Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa.
On Tuesday night, about 150 people gathered at historic McCall Park in downtown Plant City for a candlelight vigil as the family tries to come to terms with their loved one’s disappearance.
A spokesperson for the Tampa Police department said they continue to investigate this as an active missing person’s case. The family said that through the work of their private investigator, they believe their daughter was murdered.
Still, they say, they are not ready to give up hope, that a miracle could happen.
At McCall Park they lit candles, shed tears, and comforted one another.
All of the people came there for one reason. They wanted to find, or find out what happened, to Whitfield.
Pictures from Whitfield’s Facebook page show the mother of five, a Plant City native, as happy and a woman who enjoyed her children, one of them who now lives with Whitfield’s mother.
Whitfield’s family said they knew something was wrong when they didn’t hear from her since she called, at least, every other day to check in.
But when they didn’t hear from her on Mother’s Day, they say they knew something had happened.
"As we gather here tonight, let your prayers and your faith show Misti that we love her and that her community is behind her 100 percent and that we have united on her behalf," said Christal English, who organized the vigil.
Her father spoke at the vigil asking people that even with the news that they had learned from their private investigators, to never give up until they have answers.
"We will not stop until Misti is brought home one way or another," said Misti’s stepfather, Mel Ardelean. Before he could even finish the sentence, those attending the vigil broke out into a thunderous applause.
Investigators tell us Whitfield has been known to disappear in the past due to addiction to alcohol and drugs but never for this long and never without contacting someone.
While Tampa Police continue to search for Whitfield, they say that as of right now, at least, there is no evidence of any foul play.
The search for Whitfield is nationwide.
Police say that if Whitfield contacts any law enforcement officer in the country, her name will automatically come up as missing from Tampa.