Missing woman's heartbreaking first words at petrol station after disappearing for a full year

Tori Milsak's frantic family had lost all hope that she would be found alive, after the 35-year-old vanished just over a year ago. Now, loved ones have been left "shocked" following her sudden re-emergence at a petrol station, some 55 miles from where she was last seen.

On June 6, 2024, Tori disappeared from Hot Springs, Arkansas, with Hot Springs Police Department police reports at the time stating that she "may have mental health concerns”.

"Shocked" brother Jason Hamel has previously shared that Tori had mostly stopped communicating with family members in 2023, and had been dealing withpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a distressing event

For many months, relatives were left to wonder what had happened to Tori and, harrowingly, were told she "might have been murdered multiple times". All the while, Jason was left "haunted" by the last conversation he'd had with his sister, wishing he'd taken an "extra five minutes" to listen to concerns which had been troubling her.

Then, on Thursday, June 19, Tori walked into a petrol station in Little Rock. The very first thing she did was inform staff of her identity and that she'd been a missing personfor more than a year.

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In a statement shared via Facebook, the Hot Springs Police Department has now confirmed that Tori has been located following an "extensive search". Newsweek reports that the Little Rock police officer dispatched to deal with the situation revealed that Tori had advised that she'd seen herself on the news in relation to her disappearance.

After she was discovered, Tori was taken into custody by Little Rock police officers due to an outstanding warrant from Garland County.

In an interview with WBRC News, stunned but delighted brother Jason shared: “Shocked was the initial reaction because I’d been told that she might have been murdered multiple times. Hope was lost. I mean, like everybody said, you hold onto that one per cent that she’d be found alive, and she’s that one per cent.”

He added: “Makes me very angry, not at Tori, but at some people. Now, it’s time to try to start the healing process and rebuild Tori’s life."

For Jason, Tori's disappearance was made all the more painful on account of their final phone conversation together, which came at a moment of great tragedy for the family. Jason and his father had been facing the impossible decision to take another sibling off life support following a horrific motorcycle accident. It was then that Tori called.

According to Jason: “Tori called, and she sounded like she was mad about something. I told her that I did not have time to deal with her crap right now. She just said, ‘I’m sorry. I love you. I’ll call you in a week.’ And I never heard from her. So, that’s haunted me for the last year, thinking that maybe if I took an extra five minutes, things could have been different.”

Tori's next court appearance in Garland County has been scheduled for July.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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