Local missing persons case draws national spotlight

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT)- Two girls from the east missing since 2007 are getting national attention in a special series airing Monday.

Virginia "Ginni" Wood and Kelly Gaskins from Chocowinity went missing in 2007 while Wood was on a spring break road trip visiting gaskins in Texas.

Monday at nine o'clock, Investigation Discovery is airing their story on it's program "Disappeared- The Road Not Taken"

Denise Wilson says this is it.  For nearly five years she's been doing everything in her power to find her daughter Kelly who turns 24 years old this week.

Denise Wilson’s daughter turns 24 on Wednesday.  Instead of celebrating, she relives memories of the day Kelly gaskins disappeared.

"When we realized that something was wrong and she was missing, her and Ginni, you think the worst,” said Wilson.  “There's not a good thought that goes through your head."

It was January 2007, Kelly violated her probation, leaving Chocowinity to move to Texas with her boyfriend Ervin Williams.  He was wanted on several drug charges in Beaufort County.

In March, Kelly’s best friend Ginni Wood left school at Appalachian State University and drove to Texas for her freshman spring break.

"I just kind of had it in my head that she went down there to get Kelly- to bring her back,” said Wilson.

Ginni's mom Tammy talked with WNCT in 2008.  A year after she last heard from her daughter.

"I had called her after she arrived to see Kelly,” she said.  “And she said they were watching a movie and that she would call me back.  And that's the last I've heard from her.  N one has heard from her as far as I know."

Tammy filed a missing persons report for Ginni but Denise couldn't since her daughter was wanted on a probation violation.  It never deterred her.  "She's my daughter, I love her, and I want her home."

Two years ago, Denise asked Investigation Discovery to profile her story.

"It's a tragic story as most of these disappearance cases are,” said Vink.  “Although, it's not resolved so obviously we're very much hoping for a happy ending."

I asked executive producer Jeanie Vink why the I-Discovery team chose this story about two girls from eastern North Carolina out of all the others.

"This just felt like a kind of story that would really touch people,” said Vink.  “Because if you ha, you know, what appeared to be a really happy daughter in college who had a what sounded like an innocent desire to see an old friend, just disappear on spring break, I mean it's unimaginable."

Vink says millions of people have watched their stories over the last four seasons.

"You know, the real hope and the reason it makes us all feel good to work on a show like this is because we want it to help people,” said Vink.

For Denise Wilson, it's her only hope.  "I'm at a standstill now,” she said.  “Once this show is aired, if we don't get any leads from it, I don't know where else to go.  I don't know what else to do."

Investigation Discovery is premiering Kelly and Ginni's story Monday night at nine.  Producers say the story will re-run throughout the season.  In their four seasons, Vink says I-Discovery has helped solve at least two cases.