PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A Hampton Roads woman is still hoping to find her daughter more than a decade after her disappearance.
Portsmouth police say Kathryn Bene Griffin was reported missing on Jan. 16, 2012.
Earlier this week, investigators with the department shared Griffin's photo on social media, hoping to generate new leads in the case. It's something Griffin's mother, Linda Archie, says she's thankful for.
13News Now sat down with Archie Saturday as she flipped through old photos of her daughter.
Missing for 11 years: Kathryn Griffin
Archie said Griffin has three children who are all now in their 20s. While it's been more than a decade since her disappearance, Archie says the family is still searching for answers.
Archie recalled the last day she saw her daughter: Jan. 7, 2012. That day, she said she and Griffin's three children visited her at the Portsmouth barber shop where Griffin worked.
It was nothing out of the usual.
“She hugged them, she kissed them, she told them she loved them. They said, ‘We love you too Mommy,’” Archie recalled.
In the days following, Archie said she had trouble reaching her daughter.
Her worries grew when she hadn’t heard from Griffin in three days, as they had a rule to never go longer than three days without communication.
On Jan. 16, just nine days after that last visit at the barber shop, Archie said she reported her daughter missing.
“I do know in my heart, that she did not just walk away. She did not just walk away because I know she loved us and I know she loved her children,” Archie said.
Portsmouth police said Griffin was last seen in the 3500 block of Victory Boulevard possibly riding a bike. Archie said that street is were Griffin worked, but she said her daughter wasn't known to ride a bike.
"She was not known to ride a bike. No," Archie said.
Eleven years later, Archie is still left with questions about her daughter’s whereabout. She said the hardest part is the not knowing.
"Not knowing… I don’t know where she is. I don’t know what happened to her if something did happen,” she said.
Through the years of uncertainty, Archie said two things kept her going: her faith and her grandkids.
“God is a way maker, he’s a promise keeper, but the biggest thing that kept me going, because I knew they needed me, was her children,” Archie said.
Archie said this upcoming Friday will mark her daughter’s 55th birthday.
Anyone with information about Griffin is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP. You can remain anonymous.