WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — The family of a woman who disappeared in Winchester more than 20 years ago has renewed hope after volunteer searchers may have found a new lead.
Jane Bousley hasn't been seen since leaving a hairdresser appointment in Winchester in October 2001.
"I think of my mom every day; every day, it's something that makes me think of her. It would be a great relief to know what happened, where she's at," said her son, Pat Bousley.
Pat Bousley lives near Houston, Texas. When his mom disappeared, he spent about two weeks here in Kentucky helping authorities with the search.
"We searched parking lots and we searched everywhere that a car could be left behind somewhere. Early, early in the morning, before traffic, we searched parking lots and did everything we could to try to locate and find out what happened to my mom," he said.
But there was no sign of his mother or the car she was driving when she was last seen. Every now and then, there'd be a lead and, with it, some hope.
"When something flares up and says there's a possibility that we found her, then all of those feelings come back from the early days, and you think this is it, this has got to be the time where we're going to find mom," he said.
Friday was the most hope he'd felt in a while. Graham Barrineau and Brian Hutton, volunteer divers with "Diving for Hope," headed to the Kentucky River with a SONAR device and dive equipment. Within 30 minutes of hitting the water, Bousley said, they detected a vehicle. Next came the long wait for more information.
"You just sit and watch and sit and wait and you hope for the phone call," Pat Bousley said.
Barrineau and Hutton were able to bring a piece of the vehicle to the surface for more testing to figure out if that could be Bousley's car.
"If that ain't the car, there's plenty of river to still search. We have a capability now that he has shown us that, if this isn't her, then we just keep going," Pat Bousley said.
As they all wait to see if this could finally be the answer to the mystery of what happened to his mother, Pat Bousley says this is the most hope he's had in a long time.
"We've been waiting for 23 years. I can wait for a little bit longer," he said.
The "Diving for Hope" crew had to suspend their operation due to weather Friday. They plan to return to the scene once conditions improve.
