Nearly two weeks since Samantha “Sam” Sayers disappeared while hiking in Washington state’s North Cascades, her mother made a birthday wish for the young woman on Monday.
Lisa Sayers expressed her thoughts about her missing daughter’s 28th birthday on Facebook:
“I only have one wish ... for you to come home safe and sound. My ears ache to hear your voice and that incredible laugh and my eyes yearn to see the sparkle in your eyes and grin on your face. 28 years is not nearly enough little one!!! You have so much to accomplish! Your purpose here is greater than you could have ever imagined and the world Needs YOU! So fight on with all your might!! We are searching and we won’t stop! Each breath I take, I take for you too!! Feel my heartbeat ... take my energy ... and know that I won’t rest until you are home! I love you peanut! See you soon!!! Xoxo.”
On Aug. 1, the younger Sayers traveled from Seattle for a solo hike at Vesper Peak in Snohomish County. Witnesses placed her at the peak later that day, but whatever happened to her after that remains a mystery.
Lisa Sayers told HuffPost last week that she believes her daughter is injured but still alive. More than 15 search and rescue teams have been looking in every direction from the 6,220-foot summit. The young woman’s boyfriend, Kevin Dares, is among them.
Dares also shared a message on Facebook, expressing hope that his girlfriend would be found safe on her birthday. He wrote, in part:
“I feel it is important to … honor Sam and shoot all the positive vibes out into the universe … To the queen of the stars and a woman who taught me so much about the right way to live life. I’m still coming girl.”
Sayers’ family has started a GoFundMe campaign to purchase food and survival gear that rescuers have been dropping in 20 one-pound bags in various locations so Sayers might stumble across them. As of Monday, more than $35,000 has been raised.
Sam Sayers is a 5-foot-8-inch white woman who weighs 125 pounds. She has alopecia, an incurable autoimmune disorder that attacks hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out.
Friends and family members are posting updates to a Facebook group, #findsamsayers. They are encouraging everyone to share her story using the hashtag #FindSamSayers.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at 425-388-3808 or 425-388-3523.
Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly indicated Samantha Sayers has been missing for nearly three weeks instead of two.
