CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — Longtime friends of 56-year-old Janet Simpson, who has been missing since Dec. 5, gathered on Wednesday at one of her favorite restaurants.
SLIDESHOW: Photos Of Janet Simpson
Simpson has been going to the French Quarter restaurant for years and helps organize the annual Christmas party, her friends said. They met there on Wednesday to honor her.
"She would definitely want us to be together and be thinking about her," Cindy Bean, a longtime friend of Simpson's, said.
"It's really hard on a lot of us because we've known her for a long time," Angelo Tsepelis, the manager of the French Quarter and a friend of Simpson's, said. "It will be different. Somebody will be missing around this holiday party."
Simpson was last seen on Dec. 5, leaving the Liberty East restaurant. Police in Belmont then found her abandoned SUV near an old mill. Days spent searching the area and the nearby Catwaba River didn't lead to any more clues.
"Everybody's worried about her," Tsepelis said. "We care about her very, very much. She's a great lady."
Homicide detectives are now involved in the search and said they are investigating the possibility Simpson may not be alive. However, they said they have no evidence to suggest that right now.
Simpson's friends said they're waiting for answers.
"I'm hoping that by bringing up her name again in the public and in the media again and her face, it might trigger someone to have an inkling of a memory that might give us a tip," Bean said.
Previous Stories: December 14, 2010: No Sign Of Missing Woman In Belmont Search December 13, 2010: Search Resumes For Missing Charlotte Woman
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