BEAUMONT, Texas — The one year anniversary of the disappearance of Kay-Alana Turner is approaching and her family and friends still haven't given up hope that she is still alive.
Turner was last seen in Tomball on the early morning of March 10th, 2023. Her parents, Rosa and Robby Calhoun say they will continue to relentlessly pursue answers from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the agency in charge of the investigation.
The Calhouns say that their daughter was experiencing a mental health crisis when Harris County deputies responded. They claim the department that last saw her, has not been transparent while investigating her disappearance.
In January Rosa saw an official statement online from the Harris County Sheriff's Office saying her daughter had been seen in a neighboring county.
"We start trying to call Harris County to find out where exactly Kay-Alana was spotted, what county was she in, because we needed to get there," Rosa told 12News.
But that glimmer of hope quickly vanished when the Calhouns say they contacted the missing persons' detective assigned to Turner's case and he denied his office's statement.
"We need to know where that is and he said, no, we haven't seen her. She hasn't been reported. I said, 'you guys need to retract that. Y'all need to change that.'," Rosa said.
The sheriff's office did revise their statement, but questions about Turner's whereabouts remained unanswered.
"Any Harris County Sheriff's deputy that we came into contact with treated us cruelly," said Rosa.
The morning of Turner's disappearance, Harris County deputies responded to a call in a Tomball neighborhood. Someone reported seeing a woman in her car who would not leave their driveway.
According to public documents, Turner tried to drive off after two responding deputies arrived, nearly running over the deputies in the process.
She was last seen driving into a wooded area.
Her parents say Harris County is treating their daughter like a fugitive, saying the sheriff's office is refusing to hand over any body or dash cam footage that could help provide them with answers.
"Just simple embarrassment. She had to be painted to be a much more dangerous criminal, that she was not at all," Robby said.
The family has been forced to work with other law enforcement agencies outside of Harris County, even enlisting the help of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
"We continue to believe that we will see Kay again. We believe she's alive. We have no indication or evidence otherwise," said Robby.
12News tried to get in touch with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for an update on this case. They have not returned our calls.
A vigil for Kay-Alana will be held at the Woodcrest United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 6 p.m.