DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — On the anniversary of Kortne Stouffer's disappearance, her friends and family took to the water to do what she loved most: floating down the Swatara Creek.
“She wasn’t the girl going off for an eight-year degree," said Scott Stouffer, Kortne's father. "She loved nature and she loved animals.”
“It’s a relaxing couple of hours to just sit there and enjoy nature and listen to the birds chirping and sunshine hitting you," said Kerstin Jennings, Kortne's younger sister.
Saturday was a day of celebration and sadness, as Kortne’s family continues to look for answers 11 years after she went missing.
The then 21-year-old vanished from her Palmyra apartment on July 29, 2012, after a night of drinking with friends and alleged arguing with neighbors.
Jennings said every year the memorial float reminds people Kortne is still missing, as their family stays hopeful for new leads on the case.
"It’s difficult to keep asking every year for people’s support, but it’s all we have, so we have to keep doing it," said Jennings.
Even though she was not at the Swatara Creek with them on Saturday, Scott Stouffer said his daughter’s presence is still felt.
“Whether it’s my personal dog that I swear Kortne lives through, to just some things in the sunrise, and a rainbow yesterday when we were pumping up the tubes. It’s a reinforcement that Kortne hasn’t left us," said Stouffer.
Prayers echoed through the banks of the creek, as Kortne's friends and family remember her kind and loving nature.
“I hold on to those memories because that’s my sister and I want to remember her like that forever," said Jennings.
Anyone with information on Kortne Stouffer’s whereabouts are asked to contact the Palmyra Borough Police Department and Lebanon County Crime Stoppers.