DAYTON — A national organization is helping loved ones of missing people feel a little less alone this holiday season.
Payton Lackings said that her mother Niqui McCown enjoyed this time of year.
“Christmas I always remember with my mom being really big. She was very into the Christmas spirit,” Lackings said.
McCown was last seen at a Richmond, Indiana laundromat in July 2001 and has not been missing since.
“It’s been 22 years since the last time I seen my mom, I’ve spent 22 Christmases without my mom and it hurts like it did when I was 9,” Lackings said.
Lackings’ aunt Michelle McCown-Luster is the outreach coordinator for the Dock Ellis Foundation.
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The foundation helps underprivileged families find their missing loved ones.
The group is having a holiday donation drive to benefit those families.
“I honestly never knew of the Dock Ellis Foundation,” LaShondra Banks said. “For them to come in and say ‘hey we are here to help and support you and your family’ ... was very important.”
As we all navigate the holidays, some for the first time without a loved one, Lackings had some advice.
“Be kind through the holidays because you really never know what people are going through,” she said.
You can donate to the Dock Ellis Foundation here.
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