Local

Family holds onto hope 20 years after Gastonia woman vanishes

GASTONIA, N.C. — Saturday marks 20 years since a Gastonia family last saw their loved one.

Lillian Nance, who was 32 years old at the time, was last seen at a home on Sunshine Street in 2001.

Her family has never stopped hoping for tips or answers from the community.

And no one has seen her since.

[PAST COVERAGE: Mother fights for answers 18 years after daughter’s disappearance]

Now on the anniversary of her disappearance, they’re hoping someone will bring them closure.

Lillian Nance’s disappearance continues to haunt her sister Carolyn Nance.

“People just don’t disappear into thin air. I know somebody in this town knows where she’s at,” she said.

Lillian Nance left her mother’s house with a man and walked down this road on June 19, 2001, and never came home.

But 20 years later, the pain of missing her has never faded.

The family said she could possibly have been in an abusive relationship.

Lillian Nance was declared legally dead in 2014.

But her family knows someone holds the key to giving them answers and some measure of peace.

“All I want right now is closure for my mother, my family,” Carolyn Nance said.

“I just want some clarity on my baby,” said Everlene Nance, Lillian’s mother.

If you have information about the disappearance of Lillian Nance, you can call Gastonia police.