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First Posted: 12/18/2014
The years have passed, the holidays come and go, but Pauline Thomas continues the search for her missing daughter, aided by family friend Judy Fisher.
Phylicia Thomas, 22, was last seen at her Lake Township home on Feb. 11, 2004, and is presumed dead by police, although her body has never been found.
The case received renewed attention in September, when it was bumped up to the front page of Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers website, at www.crimewatchpa.com.
Shortly after, CNN also picked up the story, publishing it on their website.
According to Fisher, she’s contacted The Discovery Channel regarding an opportunity for Thomas’s case to be reviewed in one of their crime series, and is currently awaiting a response from the TV network.
According to Fisher, all tips that were personally called into her have been combined with the tips from PA Crime Stoppers and have been forwarded to the Pennsylvania State Police.
“I don’t want to catch a killer, I just want to find her body,” Fisher said.“I just want to bring her home to her family. I do this case every single day of my life — we want to push the state police to understand we’re not going away.”
State Police Lt. Richard Krawetz said that all tips have been reviewed and the case is still open.
“Over the course of the years many tips have come in and all have been explored. As of now there are no new developments and it is still an open case.”
Shortly after Thomas was reported missing, investigators honed in on a man named Steven Martin, whose Ross Township house and ATV were searched for evidence. Martin pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal crash in Wilkes-Barre, and took his own life in state prison in August 2005.
State police also had linked Martin to the 2001 disappearance of another Lake Township woman, Jennifer Barziloski, 18, whose skull was discovered in a wooded area of Hunlock Township in 2010.
According to previous Times Leader reports, Thomas’ clothes were found burned in a wooded area nearby.
Martin never faced charges in either case.
Pauline Thomas said there is no doubt that her daughter is dead. All she wants is a place to visit her daughter.
“I wake up every day with a missing daughter,” she said.“I’m never going to give up looking for my daughter. I just want a place to go see her, to put flowers on her grave and say goodbye.”
