‘We want to have that hope’: Family remains hopeful after 2011 disappearance of Ross Township mother

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A family is still searching for answers more than a decade after a mother of two vanished from her home in Ross Township.

“We do dinners every year to honor her and to talk about all the good memories,” Daisy Peterson said through tears.

The good memories and hope are what Peterson holds onto, especially on this difficult day, Sept. 26.

“She was awesome,” said Peterson. “I feel like we want to have that hope that she could just walk through the door one day.”

That day 12 years ago started like any other. On the morning of Sept. 26, 2011, Peterson and her younger brother said goodbye to their mother, Jamie Peterson, before leaving for school.

“We said, ‘Bye; love you; see you later,’” Daisy Peterson said.

But that would be the last time they’d see or hear from her. The 30-year-old mother of two disappeared later that day without a trace. Her car was still parked outside their apartment.

“Her wallet, her purse, her phone, all that was gone, and she was nowhere to be found,” said Daisy Peterson. “This was definitely weird and out of character for her to just disappear.”

Deputy Chief Brian Kohlhepp, with Ross Township Police, has been working on the case since Jamie went missing. After all these years, he still calls it suspicious.

Kohlhepp said they’re not ruling anything out, saying she could still be alive.

“We’re considering all possibilities as we work on this case,” he said. “We’ve been reviewing evidence and looking at things to go back and see if there’s stuff we could retest or test in a different fashion as well as working with the district attorney’s office to see if there’s something we can do.”

Now 24, Daisy holds onto hope, because as she cherishes the good memories, she’s also reminded of the ones robbed from her when she was just 13.

“It really hurts to feel like somebody took something so precious away from you,” she said. “Not really being able to have that mother-daughter bond like a lot of other people have and that I see, makes me upset. It makes me think about all the memories and things like that that I’ve missed out on having with her as well as my family.”

Police say the case can be solved but they’re asking for the public’s help. Detectives urge anyone with information — no matter how insignificant it might be — to come forward.

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