Police called off the search for missing New Jersey teen, Sarah Townsend on Wednesday evening, as family and friends vowed to keep looking for the 18-year-old.
"Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, please," said her mother, Laurie Townsend, during a vigil for Sarah.
The mystery surrounding the teen's disappearance is taking its toll on this tight-knit community.
"Could be anyone. Like you don't know what happened, it could be any of us standing here," a friend said.
After police ended their search, Townsend's family and friends returned to Green Acres Park in Burlington Township where Sarah's car was found on Monday with her purse and cell phone still inside. They lit candles, said a prayer and comforted one another.
"I feel horrible for the parents and I hope she comes home soon for their sake," said Jillian Valdes.
Sarah, who is from Florence Township vanished Monday morning. Her boyfriend found her car at the park near Sherman's Pond.
"He's really shooken up," said Sarah's father, Roy Townsend.
Sarah's parents say they don't want to speculate on what might have happened to their daughter. They want to let investigators do their job.
"Thank you for keeping the story straight and not making things look silly or not right or saying suicide or saying things that aren't there," said Sarah's dad.
Her friends and family say they'll be back at Green Acres Park to look for Sarah on their own, for as long as it takes.
"We're not gonna stop. Everyone's gonna keep doing something. We've got people putting fliers all over the place," said Sarah's mother.
"We think positive. We think Sarah's out there, we think someone has seen something and we want her home."
