EDENTON, N.C. (WVEC) -- Governor Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that North Carolina will offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information of a woman missing since 2015.
Karen Bosta, 39, was last seen May 31, 2015 leaving a Food Lion formerly located at North Broad Street and Coke Avenue in Edenton.
She is 5'3" tall, weighs 150 pounds, and has brown curly hair and blue eyes.
Authorities say Bosta stopped responding to calls and texts on May 30 and the last ping on her cell phone led them to a neighborhood in the county. Her phone was never located.
Her car was found in Edenton, locked and abandoned, about a week after her disappearance.
Debbie Manning is a missing persons family advocate for the Aware Foundation. She's put in countless hours since taking on Karen's case last October, but there's been no progress. Three months ago she petitioned the governor's office, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation looked into the case. The details were presented before Governor Roy Cooper and he signed the proclamation for a reward Wednesday afternoon.
"North Carolina offers this and we're very thankful to the governor. It gives us more exposure to try to bring this case back to life and try to get some answers," Manning said.
To receive the reward, the information must lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
The governor's office is classifying Karen's case as a murder. Manning says there's no evidence of that right now -- she just wants someone to come forward.
"I don't know if Karen is alive or if she is murdered. You know, all we need right now is answers. Right now, it's a total disappearance," she said.
The Perquimans Sheriff's Office had also previously offered a reward of $7,500 to help locate her.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Perquimans County Sheriff's Office at 252-426-5615.