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PHOENIX - A vigil was held for a missing Anthem woman feared dead.
It's been a year since JoAnn Dudek went missing and earlier this year, this case was turned over to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office homicide unit.
"JoAnn was last seen by her husband, believed to be in bed asleep, in her separate bedroom. On the morning of 11/14/2022, Joann was discovered missing from her home by her husband," a national missing persons database says.
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JoAnn Dudek, missing Anthem woman, feared dead
Dudek’s family flew in from all around the country to be in Anthem on the one-year anniversary of her disappearance.
"I used to watch television stories about children that went missing. I used to say to myself, ‘I can’t imagine how a family could wake up and not know where, whether it was their daughter or son or loved one, was.' We’re now living one of the worst nightmares that I used to see on television," Terry Murtha, her sister, said.
She says her family has been changed forever since JoAnn went missing.
Have you seen Joann Dudek? Loved ones searching for missing Anthem woman
The search is on for a missing Anthem woman last seen on Nov. 13. The friends and family of 64-year-old Joann Dudek fear the worst happened to her and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office considers her disappearance suspicious.
"To say that we’re broken and that this has changed us forever is like an understatement," Murtha said.
At a vigil on the street where she lives, her sisters, brother, nieces and friends shared their favorite stories. The only person missing from the crowd was JoAnn’s adopted daughter.
"JoAnn. You are the first person I think about when I wake in the morning, and the last person I think about when I close my eyes," her sister said.
Wearing matching shirts in JoAnn’s favorite color, they held each other closely and shed tears together as they sang her favorite song.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office turned the case over to the homicide team earlier this year and the family knows that was not a good sign.
"This is not a funeral. It’s not like we can be here and lean on each other and share happy stories and know that peace is coming in the days. There’s no peace coming anytime soon," Erin Murtha, her niece, said.
They’ve started to lose hope that JoAnn will be found alive, but say they will never give up.
"Two years, five years, ten years, we’re going to find out," Erin said.
Learn more about JoAnn's case here: https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/case/MP99592
Friend speaks out a year prior
"JoAnn, a friend who I’ve known for years, I will speak up for her and said she needs to be found," said Margie Schnell in a previous interview with FOX 10.
They go back 15 years, both caring for same-aged daughters who have special needs.
Margie says when JoAnn disappeared, two things were actually missing – her friend and seemingly any effort to find her.
So, she started her own search, printing out homemade flyers and posting them at restaurants around town.
Arizona missing persons cases - 2022
"Of course, if I were missing, I would want somebody to care and look for me, but mostly, JoAnn deserves this. No one deserves to disappear and have no one look for them," she said.
Margie’s worries grow bigger by the day. She’s beginning to face, the possibility that JoAnn may never come back.