[1]One of Kayla Croft-Payne's younger sisters, Jaida Payne, is comforted as family and friends held a vigil last night in Chehalis.
[2]Kayla's 4-year-old sister Shelbie chooses a balloon as their mother Michelle Croft looks on.
[3]"I love you Peanut, I miss you every day ... Butter," Kayla's friend Ashley Smith marks on a balloon.
[4]Kayla's father, Thomas Payne, readies a balloon for his grandson.
[5]Penny Playground, Chehalis, Wash. April 28, 2011
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The rain paused yesterday just long enough for friends and family of the missing Kayla Croft-Payne to gather in a Chehalis park to honor the teenager and vow to keep searching until she’s found.
More than 50 individuals, including her relatives from as far away as Seattle and Vancouver, Wash., met at Penny Playground on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance.
Croft-Payne was 18 years old and living outside Chehalis on April 28, 2010 when she last logged onto her MySpace internet account. She was reported missing on May 5 by a friend who hadn’t seen or heard from her for several days.
Candles were lit and balloons with handwritten messages were sent skyward yesterday evening.
Her father, Thomas Payne of Longview, asked the group to please share any information they might have about his daughter’s whereabouts.
“I hope everyone gets the word out so I can find my little girl,” Payne said.
Morton resident Jennifer Mau urged all who would like to help look for Croft-Payne to keep updated on plans for search parties by joining the “Missing Kayla” Facebook group.
Mau is part of a group which organized three weeks of ground searches last summer and found the body of missing Morton teenager Austin King.
“We’ll keep Kayla’s picture out there and do searches, if any of you want to help,” Mau said.
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Read more about Kayla Croft-Payne, here [6]
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Join the Missing Kayla Facebook group, here [7]