Oakland friends and family pray for missing Reno woman's return

Oakland vigil for missing woman

Family and friends hold a vigil for a missing woman in Reno with ties to Oakland. 

OAKLAND, Calif. - Family and friends on Thursday held a vigil for Shellie Vickers, an Oakland native who lives in Reno.

A tight-knit group of friends in Oakland joined family members to pray for her safe return. 

She has been missing for nearly three weeks.

Her loved ones in the Bay Area are holding out hope that she may have tried to find her way back to her hometown.

"She’s from Oakland, so maybe she came back here," said her sister, April Espinoza. "Maybe she was trying to get back home."

Disappearance caught on doorbell camera

Vickers, 63, was last seen on Dec. 20 at approximately 2:40 p.m. Doorbell video from her Reno home shows her leaving to walk to a nearby store, but she never returned.

Family members are particularly concerned because Vickers suffers from memory loss.

"I’m worried about her safety because she has early onset dementia, which leaves her confused," said longtime friend Renetta Demerson.

Adding to the family’s worry: Vickers lost her cell phone a week before she disappeared.

She did not have her wallet or identification with her.

There has been zero activity on her bank or credit cards.

A lifelong bond

The vigil was held at the site of Vickers’ former junior high school in Oakland.

Many of those in attendance have known her for decades, describing a bond that distance and time could not break.

"You don’t have to see each other to know if you call, I’m going to come running," said friend Monica Peoples.

The group is now considering organizing a caravan to Reno to conduct their own physical search if no new leads surface.

How to help

Reno police are currently investigating her disappearance as a missing person case.

Vickers is described as 5 feet 4 inches and 130 pounds. She wears her hair in cornrows.

She was last seen wearing a pink fuzzy jacket, blue jeans, and a Raiders beanie.

"We want you to come home," Espinoza said in a message to her sister. "Whoever is with her, I pray that they have her best interest in mind and that they won’t harm her."

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Reno Police Department.

Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave a message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU,  Instagram @AmberKTVU  or Twitter @AmberKTVU