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1 year later, 25-year-old metro Atlanta woman is still missing

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The family of Jenna Van Gelderen is pleading for new information to bring her home.

The 25-year-old disappeared one year ago this week.

Channel 2's Wendy Corona spoke to Gelderen's parents, who think they are one tip away from finding out what happened to her.

Rose Glick, Van Gelderen's mother, said she hopes bringing the case to the public's attention again will generate new leads.

"We need to find her. We need to have some resolution," Glick said. "Jenna needs this resolution. We need to know exactly what happened."

Van Gelderen was reported missing from her parents home on Oakdale Road in the Druid Hills neighborhood, not far from Emory University.

Her parents said they were out of town and Jenna was house-sitting when she disappeared.

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Jenna was taking care of the family’s 21-year-old cat while they vacationed in Canada. Her parents said she wouldn’t have left without telling them.

Her father, Leon Van Gelderen, said it's unlike her to just up and leave.

"It is very clear that something happened and she left unexpectedly," Van Gelderen said. "She was in touch with us two or three times every day."

Van Gelderen said there is evidence his daughter used the computer at 1:30 a.m. After that, it's a blank slate.

Her car was found two weeks later in northwest Atlanta on Deefors Place. Cellphone pings the day after her disappearance led to the Fairburn area. The family said they went out with two different canine groups to the search areas where they found those cellphone pings.

Glick said that her daughter is autistic but high-functioning, which may have come into play.

"Because of the challenges she had, she did have social issues. Sometimes she was not aware of danger," Glick said.

Her father said there was also an unusual item missing from the home -- a tapestry from World War II. He says it has little monetary value.

Police say they need more tips.

"Without that one tip, we don’t really have a further direction to go," Anthony Ford with the DeKalb County, police said. "I feel like all it takes is one person to have the courage to come forward."

The family says they are hopeful, anxious and frustrated.

"Not know where she is in that year, every day I’m sad," Glick said. "Every day I’m anxious. I keep thinking, 'What can I do? How can we move this forward?'"

There is a reward offered to help find the woman.