TOLEDO, Ohio — We've seen this year alone how a missing person's case can affect an entire community. We saw it in Port Clinton with the late Harley Dilly and now, here in Toledo with Braylen Noble.
Volunteers in the search for Noble have come from all across the area.
"I'm heartbroken. I'm heartbroken because we wanted to bring him home alive," volunteer Kim Sortor said.
The emotion and tears are real for Sortor. She didn't know Braylen or the family. But that didn't stop her from leading the search for him with other strangers.
"We've been here from morning to night every day so I don't know," she added.
Jennifer Jancsin, chief clinical officer with the Zepf Center, said a tragedy like this can activate feelings of grief or loss in people. Whether you're a parent or not, everyone can relate to being a child.
"Death of a child, there's a sense of loss of innocence there, and it really can impact our sense of safety and security that we have in our daily lives, she said.
The way the community came together is important too. Jancsin said what comes next will be hard too but it's important to continue to be there for each other.
"It's okay to have a variety of feelings around a tragic event," Jancsin said. "And it's important to connect with the supports in your life to be able to share those feelings."
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