Twenty four years later, Shelia Bradley Smith said the pain of Diamond and Tionda Bradley's disappearance is still raw.
"To us, it's still July 6, 2001," Smith said.
Smith, who is the sisters' great aunt, said it's a date the family will always remember. On July 6, 2001, Diamond and Tionda were reported missing from their Bronzeville apartment when they were 3 and 10 years old.
Since then, the family has hosted an annual vigil every July 6.
"We make sure that we keep the awareness of them continuing by having these vigils and, hopefully, somebody might have heard something when they were maybe 5 or 6 years old and come forward with a tip," she said. "You just never know."
She said the family also wants to make sure the larger Chicago community doesn't forget that there are still many unanswered questions.
"It's best to just keep their faces and their names into the community to remind people that there has been a kidnapping," she said. "There are two children missing, and there is a kidnapper, or kidnappers, that is still walking the streets of Chicago."
She said this year the vigil is being combined with a family reunion, bringing a different, calming energy to the reunion.
"Our entire family is being celebrated with Tionda and Diamond there with us," she said. "Even though they're not physically with us, we have to keep the family strength. We have to stay family strong. We have to stay vigilant. We have to keep their names out there."
Today, Diamond and Tionda would be 28 and 34 years old, respectively. Smith said as she reflects on what has changed since their disappearance, she thinks it's even more dangerous, in many ways, for young children, because of the Internet and social media.
"Predators and those type of traffickers, they have more access to children today than they did back in 2001," she said. "Parents need to pay attention to their children's online activities, make sure that they know where their children are, who their children are with."
And she said it's also important that families remember that something like this can happen to any family.
"Don't take for granted that it can't happen to them, that is the main important message I want to let them know," she said. "Do not believe that it cannot happen to your family or someone you know."
Meanwhile, she said the family is not giving up hope that Diamond and Tionda will be found.
"We will never stop searching until we find answers, as what happened to Diamond and Tionda Bradley," she said.
The vigil takes place Sunday, July 6, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Dan Ryan Woods.
