When children go missing, Texas EquuSearch is there

Sherry McKinney does her part to help families of missing children.

“Texas EquuSearch is the most incredible organization. The work that volunteers do in finding missing loved ones is selfless. I could not do what they do. I could not run a marathon. I could not search.

“As the office administrator, what I do is deal with the families initially when they call in. With my background as a paralegal working for personal injury attorneys, I’m used to dealing with families. It takes understanding and compassion, because they call here crying and desperate about their missing loved one. They don’t know what to do. You have to guide them through the steps of how to get our help.

“Some of these cases can be really hard to deal with, but you learn to compartmentalize it. I don’t take it home with me. You can’t. Although every once in a while, when it’s a child, it’s hard not to take it home.

“We want to find everyone alive, but that’s not always what happens. Many times, we find them deceased. But at least we find them, and that gives the families some closure. Those are the hardest ones, where we don’t find them and they’re still missing.

“Our motto is ‘Lost Is Not Alone.’ Tim (Miller, founder/director) never wants to leave the family alone. When his teenage daughter went missing in 1984, the police told him they thought she was a runaway. But she was abducted and murdered. She wasn’t found for 17 months. That’s why he started this organization. We don’t want families to be left alone. We want to help everyone we can.

“I’ll probably be here until I die. Those of us who are lifers, it’s a calling. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

— Sherry McKinney

(Editor’s note: Sherry passed away on Dec. 26, 2018.)

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