Baby Brian lives in a home bursting with love for him, but this household is missing one member — his mother. 

Brittany Hendershot went missing in June 2022, shortly after he was born. Two months later, authorities found her body. According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, there are 100,000 people missing in the United States at any given time. 

“We sat in here every day, watching this baby grow up without a mom," said Lee Hendershot, Brittany’s father. "Thank God he’s got us, but we don’t have our daughter."

Reminders of Brittany are everywhere. It’s in Brian’s fire-red hair, just like his mom’s, and pictures of her hang in his grandparents' home as a reminder of the daughter they lost.

“It’s happy in a way, but it’s sad because we’ll never see her again,” said Crystal, Brittany’s mother, as she looks at the memorial in the family’s home. 

The Hendershots are one of thousands of American families that had a loved one go missing. According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, on average, 600,000 Americans go missing per year. There are currently 1,000 open cases in New York. 

“Closed case. Closed case means there’s a sticker on it,” said Domingo Ramos.

The former private investigator is paging through a notebook of cases that he keeps on his desk. Each page has the name of a missing person’s case he’s working on since creating his nonprofit, Hope Alive 845. 

“Sometimes we get good outcomes, sometimes we get not-so-good outcomes," said Ramos. "Recently, one was found deceased and it was tough. All we can do is be there for their families."

It’s everything from calls with police to search parties with Hope Alive 845. There are even podcasts with families across the country that he’s worked with and a familiar face every episode. 

The Hendershots say they watch every Hope Alive 845 podcast and they maintain a close relationship with Ramos while they try to learn the cause of Brittany’s death.

“They’re just our rock right now and we’re still going through what we’re going through. Domingo and 845 are like family to us, they were there for us every step of the way,” said Hendershot. 

“We’ll always listen. Just give me a call,” said Ramos.