Crystal woman is turning her family's pain into purpose by advocating for missing persons
CRYSTAL, Minn. -- A Crystal woman has been volunteering for nearly two decades as an advocate for missing people across Minnesota.
That's because, for 22 years, she's been on her own search — hoping to find her nieces who vanished in 2001.
"A living death. That's the words I can put to it. A living death," Sheila Bradley-Smith said.
That's how Bradley-Smith describes the last 22 years.
In July 2001, her nieces 10-year-old Tionda Bradley and 3-year-old Diamond Bradley vanished from their home in Chicago.
"Early on, anybody that was that kind of fit the description of Tanda or Diamond. Even if they were on a bus, I would chase the bus to see if was that one of my nieces," Bradley-Smith said.
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As the days turned into weeks, and then months, Bradley-Smith says a call from a woman who had been through the same thing changed the course of her life.
"When I realized that there are hundreds and thousands of missing people and families out here hurting, I just had to do something. I had to get involved. I had to become an advocate," Bradley-Smith said.
WCCO spoke to Bradley-Smith back in 2016 during the search for Barway Collins.
She's also started a Facebook group — Minnesotans United for Missing Persons — to share pictures and tips with interested people all across the state. It has gained over 10,000 followers so far.
"So me feeling like other missing person family members, I was able to say, 'Okay, let's get these flyers. Let's canvass this area. Let's get it on the social media sites. Let me help you talk to the media,'" Bradley-Smith said.
While doing all this, she's still advocating for her own missing loved ones.
Thousands of tips have come in, but her family is still waiting for the right one.
"You get all excited — well, could this be the one? Could this be the one, you know? And you pray for answers," Bradley-Smith said. "And, you know, keep your fingers crossed. And when you get that news, that it's not, it just, in a sense, kills you again."
Bradley-Smith says a woman in Texas recently came forward believing she could be one of the missing girls.
DNA results are pending, but, due to a backlog, aren't expected to come back to the family until December.