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<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; On a frigid Thursday night at Patriot Square, the memory of Phylicia Thomas remained warm in the hearts of her mom, her family and her friends.</p><p>A vigil was held to keep alive not just the memory of the 22-year-old girl who went missing in 2004, but to sustain hope that she will be found.</p><p>Closure is sometimes the best thing that families in these situations need.</p><p>Pauline Bailey, Phylicia&#8217;s mom, told me she won&#8217;t stop until her daughter is found. And, she said, she knows Phylicia isn&#8217;t coming back.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no hope of finding her alive,&#8221; Pauline, 59, said. &#8220;She&#8217;s gone.&#8221;</p><p>Pauline said Phylicia would have contacted her at some point over the last 12 years to let her know she was alright. So now, Pauline grieves day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year for her daughter.</p><p>She wants closure. She wants to give her daughter a proper burial so she can rest in peace.</p><p>And Pauline wants the responsible parties &#8212; and she believes there was more than one person &#8212; to be found.</p><p>The temperature on the sign at the bank on the corner near Patriot Square said 14 degrees. It felt colder than that. A container of hot chocolate served as a hand-warmer for some of the 50 or so attendees.</p><p>Pink Floyd&#8217;s &#8220;Wish You Were Here&#8221; played in the background &#8212; an appropriate tune that reflected the feelings of all who gathered once again to remember Phylicia and to remind everybody of how important it is to find her.</p><p>Judy Fisher, Pauline&#8217;s friend who flew in from Southern California to attend the vigil, said it best.</p><p>&#8220;I hope this is our last one,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I hope we find her this year.&#8221;</p><p>It&#8217;s been 12 years now since Phylicia went missing.</p><p>Last April, family members and friends searched an area along Golf Course Road in Hunlock Creek where they believed Phylicia&#8217;s body may have been buried. According to a Times Leader story, the property was formerly the home of Steve Martin, initially named a possible suspect in the case by state police.</p><p>Thomas is believed to be last seen at a party nearby in Martin&#8217;s company. Martin hung himself in 2005, while in prison on an unrelated charge.</p><p>Investigators also had linked Martin to the 2001 disappearance of Thomas&#8217; friend, Jennifer Barziloski, 18, also of Lake Township, whose skull was found near Martin&#8217;s home in 2010. Jennifer was also remembered at Thursday night&#8217;s vigil.</p><p>Martin never faced charges in either case.</p><p>When I asked Pauline her age, she sighed and said, &#8220;I&#8217;m 59 and I feel it,&#8221; she said. Much of her weariness, I suspect, is a result of the last 12 years of searching, hoping, wondering and grieving.</p><p>&#8220;And it&#8217;s not right that the people who took her could be out there hurting other girls,&#8221; she said. &#8220;People need to know they are safe in their own town. This could happen to others.&#8221;</p><p>Pauline said she would never want another family to go through what she and her family have gone through.</p><p>&#8220;I won&#8217;t stop until I find my daughter,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Pauline still has difficulty talking about what might have happened on that Feb. 11 night. She said Phylicia had told her in the days leading up to that night that she was scared.</p><p>&#8220;She used to tell me terrible stories,&#8221; Pauline said.</p><p>I met Pauline for the first time at Thursday&#8217;s vigil. You can see the pain on her face, yet she welcomed all when they arrived and offered hugs.</p><p>&#8220;I still have such a hard time with this,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I know so many people care.&#8221;</p><p>Pauline&#8217;s niece, Lani Confletti, read a prayer as everybody bowed their heads.</p><p>&#8220;We pray for answers,&#8221; she said.</p><p>But it all comes down to that closure &#8212; to be able to confirm what Pauline and the others already know. Thinking about Phylicia being out there somewhere grinds on Pauline and wears on her.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been 12 years and there&#8217;s not a day that goes by that we don&#8217;t think about her,&#8221; Pauline said. &#8220;She was the anchor to the family.&#8221;</p><p>Pauline said she has five sons and another daughter. She said two of her sons &#8220;will never be OK.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;But we rely on each other,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Pauline hopes that the search for Felicia never ends. She hopes that somebody comes forward with new information to lead them to her.</p><p>&#8220;This is a big deal,&#8221; Pauline said. &#8220;Some say &#8216;get over it,&#8217; but you can&#8217;t ever get over it.&#8221;</p><p>Judy said Feb. 11 always seems to be the coldest day of the month. All those attending would like this one to have been the last. They want to find Felicia and then punish those who are responsible.</p><p>&#8220;Every time it&#8217;s like going to a funeral,&#8221; Pauline said of the vigil.</p><p>And, in reality, finding Phylicia and giving here that proper burial would bring the closure she so desperately needs.</p>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Columnshot-1-1-1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Columnshot-1-1-1-2.jpgO&#8217;Boyle </div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_phylicia-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Phylicia Thomas </div></div><div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_phylicia-2.jpgPhylicia Thomas </div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_vigil-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Pauline Bailey, mother of missing person Phylicia Thomas, at Thursday evening's vigil for her daughter in Patriot's Park in Nanticoke. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo">https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_vigil-2.jpgPauline Bailey, mother of missing person Phylicia Thomas, at Thursday evening's vigil for her daughter in Patriot's Park in Nanticoke. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></div><div class="metaInfo"><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></div>

In Focus: Phylicia’s memory still warm on a frigid night