Family holds onto hope for missing loved one on National Missing Person Day

STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It’s a nightmare that Katelynn Conrad’s family lives with every day. The uncertainty of her disappearance continues to haunt them since she went missing in June after getting a ride from Oakdale to her home in Stowe Township.

“It’s the not knowing. Even if it’s not the outcome we want, we just want her home. We want her safe. We love her to death. She’s missed by so many of us,” said Ronda Nay, Katelynn’s aunt.

Katelynn, 32, has been missing for nearly eight months, and her family is still searching for answers. They say it’s as if she “disappeared without a trace.”

Her case is one of five open missing persons cases in Allegheny County. On National Missing Persons Day, the Allegheny County Police Department is highlighting the cases in hopes of garnering leads to help them be found.

Shaler Police Chief Sean Frank reflected on a missing person case that his department just closed after four years.

“Technology we try to use cameras and even GPS for her vehicle and that was all disabled or unavailable,” Frank said about Janet Walsh’s case.

Walsh went missing in 2020, and the chief told Channel 11 it was like she had vanished. He brought in other departments and agencies to help with any leads, but it wasn’t until 2024 that a fisherman’s tip about a car underwater led them to Walsh.

>>> Human remains found in vehicle pulled from river belong to missing Shaler woman

“Each year, we did something to try to get new leads on the case. It was just chance we got the tip that led us to her vehicle,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty, Katelynn’s family remains hopeful. Her aunt vowed to keep spreading her picture and story, hoping for new leads that could bring Katelynn home.

“I don’t want to go years, but I’m not going to stop until I find her,” Nay said.

Anyone with information about any of the five open missing persons cases in Allegheny County is urged to contact Allegheny County Police at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

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