17 years later, family of Phylicia Thomas asks for help to ‘bring her home’

Click here for full historical coverage of the Phylicia Thomas disappearance with articles dating back to Feb. 2004.

WILKES-BARRE — Some 17 years after her daughter, Phylicia Thomas disappeared, Pauline Bailey sat in her home with her granddaughter, Phylicia Edwards, who Pauline says looks just like her her long-missing daughter.

Every day since Phylicia went missing, Bailey, now 64, has been fighting, hoping, waiting for the day her daughter, who would be 39 today, to be brought home.

Pauline accepts that Phylicia is dead — the presumed victim of a brutal murder that occurred at a party in Hunlock Township on a cold February night in 2004.

Phylicia’s body has never been found.

Pauline says there were as many as 17 people at that party who would have heard the screams and seen a body being carried out of a bedroom and out of the trailer and taken somewhere and buried.

But nobody has come forward with any compelling testimony to help investigators find Phylicia’s remains and bring the guilty parties to justice.

“It’s just unbelievable that it’s been 17 years and we are still waiting,” Pauline said. “It’s unbelievable that the people at that party won’t come forward and try to help find Phylicia and find who did this. They know what happened. We’ve heard the same story from several people, but it never goes anywhere.

“We just miss her so much.”

Pauline wants closure. She wants to be able to bury her daughter’s remains and then be able to visit her gravesite and place flowers, knowing that Phylicia is at eternal rest.

“We want to finally be able to say goodbye,” she said.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Ed Urban, who has investigated multiple homicide cases and other major criminal cases, was assigned to the Thomas investigation last year.

“She’s not a statistic, she was a person who had hobbies and interests,” Urban said. “It is definitely an active investigation and we continue to talk to people, exploring different avenues.”

Phylicia the person

Pauline enjoys talking about her 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

“They’re all over the place,” she said.

Phylicia Edwards was sitting with her as Pauline talked about what happened 17 years ago.

“It’s hard for me to believe that someone would do that to her and that it’s still not solved,” Phylicia Edwards said of the aunt she looks like, but never met.

Pauline said her daughter used to love the outdoors, going camping and taking long hikes in the woods.

“She loved to sit around a campfire,” Pauline said.

Pauline said Phylicia was always very friendly and she especially loved animals.

“She was always bringing home animals,” Pauline said. “There was nothing bad about her. She was just a good kid with a big heart. She always looked out for the underdog.”

Pauline said Phylicia didn’t drive, so she was glad to get a job at the Pump N Pantry at Route 118 and Route 29 in Lehman Township because she could walk to work.

Phylicia’s brother, Jesse, said his sister brought two garter snakes in the house when she was a toddler. Pauline said that happened all the time.

“She came in one day with a big garter snake,” Pauline said. “She scared the heck out of me. She would then bring snakes in the house and hide them under her bed.”

Jesse said Phylicia came home with a few chickens one day because she wanted free eggs.

“Two of them were under my bed,” he said. “I think there was a third one in her bedroom.”

Phylicia also brought home a large Doberman that would drag her around while she was on her roller skates.

“We had to find the owner and return the dog,” Pauline said.

Her cousin remembers

Hayley Bonk, 26 of Hunlock Creek, is Phylicia’s cousin. Hayley offered some heartfelt thoughts about Phylicia, remembering her as being down to earth and full of life.

Hayley said everyone has heard about Phylicia’s disappearance and the details about her death, but the general public has never heard what kind of person she was and how she loved life.

“Phylicia cared so much about people and animals,” Hayley said. “Anything to help a living creature and she was there.”

Hayley went on to say, “My beautiful cousin was my idol growing up. I remember looking up to her and everything she did — the way she cared. I wanted to be just like her.”

Hayley was just 10 years old when Phylicia went missing.

“Back then, I didn’t truly understand how my strong-willed cousin was just gone — it didn’t make any sense to me,” Hayley said. “How could my life go from seeing her all the time — she lived close by — to never seeing her again? Phylicia left such an imprint on my life.”

Hayley said she remembers a lot about Phylicia — her unique laugh and smile will always play in the back of her mind.

“Often, I tell the stories of when she taught me how to make our own dye to make handmade tie dyes,” Hayley said. “She once sat with me and showed me how to make hemp necklaces. I remember sitting there for hours trying to figure it out.”

Hayley said she used to love to play basketball. She said Phylicia never missed Hayley’s practices or games.

“She was always there in the stands cheering me on,” she said. “One of the last days I remember with her was right before my basketball practice. We colored a picture of a dog and talked about the love we had for dogs, our favorite of course were Rottweilers. I remember just laughing.

“Ever since the day she disappeared, I gave up basketball. I couldn’t stomach not seeing her in the stands.”

‘The glue’ of the family

Hayley said she honestly can’t remember any time seeing Phylicia that she wasn’t smiling or laughing.

“I can’t recall ever having a bad day when she was around,” Hayley said. “She was the glue to this family, she kept us strong and together. When she first went missing, I remember crying myself to sleep. I remember having nightmares and praying she was okay.”

Hayley said above her bed hung a dream catcher. She said Phylicia was going to teach her how to make one.

“But we never got the chance to do that,” she said. “As a kid, I had many people always ask me what happened? Or where could she be? And I remember just shutting down because those very questions were ones I asked myself over and over again.”

Hayley said she knew people were just curious, but no one truly understood how devastated she was.

”I remember counting the days thinking she will be found and brought home, but that day ever came,” Hayley said. “Years and years went by and still nothing.”

Hayley finds it difficult to understand how such a horrible death could happen to such a beautiful and wonderful person like Phylicia.

“I was once asked if my family was cursed,” she said. “As a 10-year-old, those words haunted me. I feared that they were true. Now being older and knowing more now about how this happens to people, those words no longer haunt me, but the questions still do.”

Hayley remembers the adventure walks and always learning something new and exciting.

“Now being older than she was when she disappeared, Phylicia was robbed of so much life,” Hayley said. “I often think of what she would be like today. Before I make choices, I think of her and ask what she would do if she was I.”

Some 17 years later, Hayley said it still feels like Phylicia was just taken from the family.

“The pain of her being gone is always so fresh — like a wound that just won’t heal — but it feels like an eternity since I got to see her smile,” Hayley said. “I still laugh about all the memories till they are tears because of how much we miss her and no matter how much time passes that pain will never go away.

“Honestly, I am just glad that Phylicia’s name has been used to protect other women from the same fate.

“Knowing that her story is being told over and over again, to allow all to know these monsters are still out there. Lord knows we won’t stop — we won’t give up hope.

“I miss you so much Phylicia. Wish you were here.”

A mother’s lament

Pauline Bailey said she will never forget Feb. 11, 2004 — she calls it the “day of horror” — when her daughter disappeared off the face of the earth and she and her family were devastated.

“We knew something bad had happened because she always called and checked in with each one of us,” Pauline said.

Speaking to those responsible for Phylicia’s death/disappearance, Pauline said:

“One way or another you will have to pay for what you did. Please, anyone with information, please call — you don’t have to leave your name. Help us stop the killers from hurting anyone else.

“Help us bring Phylicia home.”

Digital vigil

A socially-distant digital vigil of sorts was held throughout the day on Facebook on Thursday, with organizers encouraging friends and family members to light a candle and post it in Phylicia’s honor.

Dozens of posts were made to the group, with many referencing Pink Floyd, a favorite of Phylicia’s. Their song “Wish You Were Here” is often sung at the annual vigils. This year, though, that sentiment had to go virtual.

“Wish You Were Here Phylicia!” read a post from user Tammy Rittenhouse on the Candlelight Vigil page on Facebook. “Sending BIG HUGS to all of Phylicia’s family and friends that we hug,sing, and pray with on this day every year.”