Family Holds Balloon Release For McAlester Woman Missing For 3 Years

The family of a missing McAlester woman marks three years since her disappearance with a balloon release.

Holly Cantrell’s family is desperate for answers as they also honor her life.

Today is not a celebration. The balloons are a way to remember, a way to hold on to hope.

"The yellow signifies missing people and the white ones signify hope....and then the metallic ones are just the color of flowers she loved," says Holly’s Aunt Kathy Camp.

Three years ago, today, Holly Cantrell went missing. In February of 2017, a hunter found Holly's purse in the Cardinal Point Recreation Area near Lake Eufaula. A year later, human bones and scraps of fabric were found close to the same area.

“We should be beside her. We should be spending our days with her and her nephews and she should be with us. Anger is the first thing I feel when I get out here. Anger and then sadness," said Camp. 

Holly's family is out in the same area, remembering her.

"It holds something in our heart. This is where she last was. This is the closest we can get to her right now," said Camp. 

The family is still waiting for a lab in Texas to identify the remains, but they believe in their heart it’s Holly.

"We've been through quite a bit in the last three years. We really wish we had her with us because every day she is missed by her children and by her family. It just never stops," said Camp. 

The Medical Examiner said the lab is one of the best in the world at extracting DNA from bones and the family is hopeful that answers will come.

"There might never be justice for her. We might never know. We just hold on to hope," said Camp.