On what marks her 23rd birthday, the family of a woman who mysteriously vanished nearly 10 months ago are spending today comforting each other and hoping to get answers about what really happened to their relative.

Anya Wilmott has not been seen since November 22, 2011 and her family members who have tried their hardest to find her is now accepting the possibility that she is not coming back.

Wilmott’s aunt, Beverley Larramore, told The Journal that today will be especially difficult for Anya’s two little girls and her mother.

“Even though they have not seen their mother in nearly a year, those two little girls still ask for their mother,” Ms. Larramore said. “Anya’s mother, [Antoinette Newton] has had to take full responsibility over those children and this has not been easy for her.”

“We think that Anya has passed on or she is an incapacitated state somewhere, so at this point the only present we would like on this her birthday is closure. We just would like to know what happened to her.”

Ms. Larramore said her family has faced several road blocks and she expressed disappointment that the police have not been forthcoming in sharing information with them.

“We have learned from this process that missing persons investigations need to be headed by a special taskforce – a taskforce that ensures that it keeps the family of the missing person informed of where the investigation is. Throughout this ordeal, we would have to constantly chase after the police for information and the most we would ever get from them is that this is still an open investigation,” she said.

“Sometimes it felt as though they [the police] never believed Anya was missing.”

Since the single mother disappeared late last year, stories have surfaced suggesting that the young woman had not been abducted, but rather she had chosen to run away to escape a conviction.

Her family confirmed to The Journal back in March that she did have outstanding matters before the court but vehemently denied that she had voluntarily run away.

Wilmott was last seen on the morning of November 22 dropping her two children off at their daycare.

She was expected to meet her mother that morning in the downtown area, but she never showed and she did not call to explain what had happened to her.

Acting Police Press Liaison Officer Superintendent Stephen Dean confirmed yesterday that investigations into Wilmott’s disappearance are ongoing. He said the case is still open.

Police continue to ask anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact the Criminal Detective Unit (CDU) at 502-9910 or 502-99991 or the nearest police station.