by Kerry Hall

MOLINE - It has been exactly ten years since 11-year-old Trudy Appleby disappeared from Moline.

With each year that passes, Trudy's mother misses more milestones in Trudy's life.  Brenda Gordon is still convinced someone out there knows what happened to Trudy ten years ago.

Missing person fliers hang in her front windows; Brenda's memories haven't faded.

"I can picture her, hear her voice once in a while," she said.  "I'll see people who kind of remind me of her."

Trudy was last seen August 21st, 1996 in her Moline driveway.  She rode off in a car driven by a man in his 20's with curly brown hair.  Theories that she disappeared on Credit Island and hundreds of other tips failed to lead to Trudy, dead or alive.

Ten years later, Brenda is discouraged, but still have hope for answers.

"Keep fighting, it's an uphill battle but I will never give up."

Trudy's 22nd birthday is in a few weeks.  She could be a college student or a mother.  Brenda thinks of her as a spunky pre-teen, full of life.

"Things get harder as times go by because it's just time without her."

Dozens of people gathered at the Kmart in Moline Monday night.  Friends and family lit candles, sang songs and prayed that the mystery would soon be solved.