TIFTON — Candles flickered in the South Georgia summer heat as they surrounded a framed picture of Brandi Cole on July 7 at Fulwood Park.

Shellie Auchtung has held this vigil at Fullwood Park for a number of years since her daughter, 17-year old Brandi Cole, went missing July 7, 2007 in Tifton.

“I don’t care if it’s 30 years from now, it doesn’t get any easier,” said Auchtung. “If it has to be a one-person party, I’ll be here every year on this time.”

Though she has had a couple of leads over the years since the disappearance, she said they have generally come to nothing.

“The last time I saw my baby alive was on July 5, on my birthday,” said Auchtung. “Every year it reminds me I’m here a year longer than she is. I just want to put her to rest.”

Auchtung continues to endure the pain of the loss, but said it was excruciating in the beginning.

“Imagine, two or three years after your daughter goes missing, every time you see buzzards, you walk out to see what it is,” said Auchtung. “It tormented me.”

Auchtung wants to find answers for Cole’s own daughter, who was two years old at the time that Cole went missing.

Now a young teenager, Cole’s daughter is beginning to ask questions about her mother.

“I want a place for my grandbaby to be able to know, ‘That’s where my momma is,’” said Auchtung.

The family is urging the public to come forward with any information it might have regarding Cole’s disappearance. The family would like closure.

At the time of her disappearance, Cole was described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall with hazel eyes and short brown hair.

Anyone with any information in the case is encouraged to call the Tift County Sheriff’s Office, (229) 388-6020, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678.