Elizabeth Smart Joins Search for Whitney Duncan’s Missing Cousin, Holly Bobo

Elizabeth Smart is headed to West Tennessee next week to attend an event for country singer Whitney Duncan's missing cousin, Holly Bobo. The Jackson Sun newspaper reports that Ed Smart and his daughter, who survived a nine-month abduction, will appear at Holly's alma mater, Scotts Hill High School, on Monday (Aug. 27) to plead for the safe return of the nursing student.

"The Smarts have been in contact with the Bobo family since Holly's disappearance, and this is something that they wanted to do for them," said Kevin Bromley, a spokesman for the Bobo family.

The morning of April 13, 2011, 20-year-old Holly was headed to class at the University of Tennessee Martin, when she was taken from her home in Darden, Tenn., by a man dressed in camouflage clothing.

Following the incident, Whitney Duncan took to Twitter and Facebook to spread the word. "My cousin Holly was kidnapped this morning," she wrote. "Please pray for her & our family. This is really sad & shocking. Lord have mercy. I feel like I'm walking in a nightmare. Thanks for all the prayers and please keep spreading the Amber Alert."

According to Holly's father, Dana, searches for his daughter continue to take place, with two more planned for this Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 24-25).

In June 2002, then-14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nine months later, a tip led to her rescue from Brian David Mitchell, who was sentenced to life in federal prison. His wife, Wanda Barzee, received 15 years for her participation.

Monday's event in support of the Bobo family is free and open to the public. It's scheduled to take place in the school's gymnasium, beginning at 7:30 PM.

Holly (pictured above) is 5-foot-3-inches tall with shoulder-length blond hair and weighs around 110 lbs. She was wearing a pink shirt and light blue jeans at the time of her suspected abduction. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to call 800-824-3463 (800-TBI-FIND) or the Decatur County (Tennessee) Sheriff's Office at 731-852-3714. A $250,000 reward -- at last count -- is being offered for information leading to Holly Bobo's location and the arrest of her abductor.

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