Family of missing girl offers HOPE
The sudden disappearance of a loved-one is emotionally devastating. But from the pain of that loss, one local family finds a way to help others.
Mary Lyall, Co-founder of the Center for HOPE, says that she and her family are still living the same nightmare. The nightmare is the loss of her daugher, Suzanne.
In 1998, 20-year old Suzanne Lyall disappeared from the University at Albany campus. While there was a full-scale police investigation, Mary and Doug Lyall organized their own search for Suzanne in the family room. A year later, in the same family room, they founded the Center for HOPE, Healing Our Painful Emotions.
![]()
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Mary Lyall said, "It was just so hard to move on with our lives by just sitting around, so we decided to keep ourselves busy."
Since then, they've helped develop the New York State Campus Safety Act, and they've also helped find missing persons. They've been so busy, in fact, that the U.S Department of Justice presented them with an Award for Public Service.
The Center has grown and thanks to a $10,000 legislative grant, they have a new office in Balston Spa. The center for hope has also set-up a website where people can log on to learn how to cope with the disappearance of a loved-one.
By logging on, you join a community of support.
Doug Lyall added, "Even if we never find out what happened to our daughter, the Center for Hope will still be there."