Proclamation for “Nebraska Missing Persons Day” brings hope, awareness

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Governor Pete Ricketts signed a proclamation Monday afternoon to designate October 17th as “Nebraska Missing Persons Day”, bringing hope and awareness to the families affected. It comes after a network of families of missing persons came together to ask for a day of recognition.

Jannel Rap, the sister of Regina Bos who went missing 22 years ago on October 17th, is one of those people.

“She was playing at an open mic night in October of 2000, October 17th specifically, and she walked out from a pub called Duggan’s at 11th and K,” Rap said. “And she’s not been seen since.”

After more than two decades, Rap hasn’t given up. Bos, a mother of three, went missing when she was 40. When she disappeared, Jannel thought she’d gone to a friend’s house and didn’t check-in.

“I was kind of mad at her initially,” Rap said. “And then I realized no, she would never do this. She would never leave her kids. And then I was frantic. And then I was up 24/7 for about three weeks looking for her doing whatever I could.”

Since then, Jannel and her family have worked tirelessly for answers hoping to bring Gina home. Jannel started a non-profit in Gina’s honor called the “GINA for Missing Persons FOUNDation” to bring education and awareness to missing people.

“I was one of those people that thought that I would never experience it,” Rap said. “And when I saw missing people on TV, I thought they were the only ones and I would feel bad every time.”

While some families keep searching, others have unfortunately stopped. Martha Hollis’s daughter, Camisha, went missing in Omaha in 2018. It was later discovered her boyfriend murdered her, but her remains have yet to be found.

“We don’t know where she’s at today,” Hollis said.

With October 17th now being “Nebraska Missing Persons Day,” Hollis said she’s glad to see the state recognize what she went through, and what some families are still going through.

“So if other loved ones go missing, you know, we can get together and, you know, try to figure it out,” Hollis said.

Governor Ricketts said out of the 2,000 missing persons reports made in 2022, over 300 cases are still open. The Nebraska State Patrol’s database currently lists over 800 missing people, dating back to 1967.

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