The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THIS Christmas season is anything but merry for families still hoping for the return of their missing relatives.

Kyle Carey and Daniel Padilla, Jr, disappeared on May 11 and October 2, respectively.

Their families are facing the holidays with lingering questions about their whereabouts.

Mr Carey’s relatives felt the weight of his absence hard on his November 14 birthday.

Although his family’s search efforts are continuing, his mother, Tracey Carey, said this season is difficult.

“We are still hopeful that he is going to be okay and return, but it is very difficult right now because it’s Christmas, but you know we’re just depending on each other and just trying to stay positive,” she told The Tribune yesterday.

 “It’s just extremely hard we had to go through the birthday and now with the holidays, but we are just relying on each other and staying strong and trusting in God. That’s the main thing and the only thing that’s been getting us through this.”

 She described Kyle’s disappearance as a gap in the family. The family has no significant leads and is offering $25,000 as a reward for anyone who can lead them to him.

 “His family misses him. We love him, and we are just waiting for him to come back home,” she said.

 Stephen Sands, Mr Padilla’s uncle, similarly feels the pain of not knowing what happened.

 Daniel, 29, was last seen on October 2 in a grey Ford Fusion, license plate AX5837. He was wearing long trousers and a navy and white striped button-down shirt.

“He is still missing. We are taking it one day at a time,” Mr Sands said yesterday.

 “For this family, it’s not a ham and turkey Christmas for us. It’s a Daniel Christmas for us. That’s the kind of Christmas we are having.

 “Maybe one bag of nuts may be in the house, but no ham, no turkey, no Christmas tree, no Christmas lights because we are still wondering where he is. Is he all right?

“Whoever got him, are they treating him well? Or has he already left us? It’s so many different thoughts, and because of these thoughts going through our head, we are not stable in nothing we could say.”

“It’s so hard to say what it is. Every night, I go to bed waiting for an answer to come so I can understand.”