ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — It’s been nearly two decades since a 17-year-old Bethel girl vanished, and her family is still looking for answers.

Saturday marked the 19th anniversary of Stella Evon’s disappearance and family members said they are renewing an effort to find out what happened to her.

Evon was returning from a friend’s house in the early morning of Sept. 26, 1996, and wasn’t able to get inside her home.

“They lived right across from the police station, so she went over to the police station for some help,” said Evon’s cousin, Juliet Stonecipher. “They tried going over and assisting her and trying to get her grandmother to open the door, but they had no luck so they brought her to her older sister’s house.”

But Evon left her sister’s house between 5 and 6 a.m. and was never seen again.

The family is currently offering a $5,000 reward fund for information about Evon, but Stonecipher told KTUU-TV that they are trying to raise money so they can increase that amount.

“Somebody out there knows something about her disappearance,” said Stonecipher. “This is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, somebody’s cousin, somebody’s auntie, friend, we need justice for Stella and closure for her family and friends.”

Stonecipher said people still reach out to her on Facebook to talk about good times spent with Evon.

“Stella was a very fun person, she was always laughing, she would always find something to laugh about, she was very outgoing,” Stonecipher said. “She’s very kind, she loved everyone.”

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Mexicans living in Alaska will soon have to travel out of state to receive services from the Consulate of Mexico, but a group is petitioning to keep the Anchorage office open.

The consulate plans to close its doors in November, citing economic issues and a lack of participation.

However, Anchorage community leader Daniel Esparza is finding signatures to stop the move.

Esparza said nearly 4,000 Mexicans in Alaska receive services at the consulate annually. So far he has collected about 900 signatures.

“It’s a huge impact and here in Alaska not just for the Mexican community, it’s for the Latino community in general,” Esparza said.

He said the consulate doesn’t just benefit people from Mexico as other Latin American residents also use the office as a resource.

“A lot of people from El Salvador stop by in the consulate and say how can I contact my consulate in San Francisco, that kind of help, that kind of stuff,” Esparza explained.

A representative from the consulate in Seattle will be in Anchorage on Thursday to discuss the closure.

The Associated Press