Amy Henslee

Amy Henslee, The gut-wrenching sobs of Amy Henslee's mother could be heard from the kitchen as she stood by the television and listened to a reporter who knew more about her missing daughter's case than she did.

The television reports from Thursday evening are how the family first heard that police found a trailer with blood in it.

The trailer belongs to a cousin of Amy's husband, James.

Family members and friends huddled around in the living room and watched the news. How could they be blindsided like that, several asked angrily.

How could the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department not notify Amy Henslee's family first and keep them informed before the media, demanded close family friend Wendy Boyd.

Boyd broke down and began to cry uncontrollably in the kitchen. She didn't have much privacy there — two journalists were waiting for her to sit down for an interview.

She was so angry, but she didn't know who she could call or who would listen.

The family had been waiting for hours for authorities to inform them of how the investigating was going to find Amy Henslee, a 30-year-old stay-at-home mom who disappeared Monday morning.

The final blow was when the television reporter erroneously said the Henslee family was already called to the scene of the bloody trailer.

As the family watched the news, nearly 20 vehicles were parked outside James and Amy Henslee's small grayish house. There were several news trucks that looked intimidatingly large on snow-covered County Road 376 located next to fields and woods.

Ever since a morning press conference at the Van Buren County Sheriff's Department, Boyd patiently fielded question after question in front of several cameras.

She invited reporters into the Henslee house and answered more questions when James Henslee was too shaky to speak.

And now, after all that, Boyd was disgusted.

I need a hug, she said, blinking back tears.