GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — In the living room of her Gwinnett County home, Erika Wilson has a set of photographs carefully arranged on the mantel above the fireplace.
The photos are of her son Justin Gaines, who disappeared seven years ago on Nov. 2.
"I miss his smile. I miss his blue eyes. I don't have him walking in the door, so it's nice to be able to look at him,” Wilson said.
Justin was just 18 when he disappeared. He was home from college and was last seen at Wild Bills nightclub in Duluth. Police say there is surveillance video of Justin from that night.
"We've got to keep putting it out there, because someone knows what happened to him. And one day we're going to have answers and closure, and every year I pray it's that year,” said Wilson.
Last March, sheriff's deputies dug up an abandoned well near Dacula after a tip led them to believe they'd find Justin's remains. The tip came up empty.
His mother says she’s not giving up, but it's hard to carry on. Especially on the anniversary; the kind you don't celebrate.
"Today, walking into the grocery store, it was early. I wondered, seven years ago at this time, had somebody already murdered Justin, you know? It replays in my head every year,” Wilson said.
WSBTV
