Six months ago, 15-year-old Sierra LaMar vanished on her way to school.

On Sunday, family, friends and volunteers gathered to make sure everyone knows she's not forgotten.

About 100 red balloons tied to note cards with room to write a message to Sierra were released into the sky Sunday.

Balloons filled the sky over Morgan Hill, where more than 75 people gathered at the search center for Sierra LaMar to mark six months since she disappeared.

"I told her to come back so we could do all the plans that we made," said Channah Foreman, Sierra's best friend.

Lamar's parents said it was difficult to accept the significance of the date.

"Today was the first day I went onto Facebook and I read a lot of the prayer requests," said Marlene LaMar, Sierra's mother.

Steve LaMar, said he hoped they would have found her. "She'd be home with us and life would be back to normal right now," he said.

But the support of volunteers made the pain of this date bearable. Once strangers, the group now calls itself an extended family

"It hits home no child should ever have to go through this," said Renee Figueira. "No parent should ever have to go through this."

In March, prosecutors charged 21-year-old Antolin Garcia Torres with kidnapping and murdering Sierra, but her family won't accept her death until they have irrefutable proof: her body.

Volunteers said they were also concerned that after six months, the impetus to find Sierra is slowing.

Twice-weekly searches were recently scaled back to just one.

Some declined to release a red balloon Sunday, because even though they could write a note meant for Sierra, releasing balloons had another meaning for others.

"It's to say goodbye. I don't want it to say goodbye," said Dave Trollis. "I want it to say, 'Hey, I'm here and I'm not giving up until you come home.'"