KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the days after Abbi Schaeffer's remains were found in a ditch in south Kansas City, her loved ones got to work on cleaning the area up.
The area was full of trash, as it's often used for dumping, but her family says it's no place for someone who was as beautiful as Schaeffer.
"We wanted this to be a place where you can see how beautiful Abbi is and know she's loved by so many people," said Audrey Davis, Schaeffer's older sister.
Over the span of three days, Schaeffer's family cleaned up the trash, leaves and other debris in the area.
Instead, they replaced the filth with flowers, lamps and jars full of notes, creating a memorial in honor of Schaeffer.
“We wanted this to be a place where you can see how beautiful Abbi is and know she’s loved by so many people," Davis said.
Each piece of the memorial was intentional, from the colors to the type of flowers, all reminders of the type of person Schaeffer was.
"I love Abbi with my whole heart," Davis said. "She was such a beautiful, caring person. She cared about all of us more than anything in this world. She would never leave us with the intent to leave us, that’s why when she went missing, we knew something was absolutely terribly wrong.”
Smith says for now, this was all the family could do for Schaeffer as they have spent the last year conducting independent searches.
“We tried to do everything we could do to find Abbi ... to think she was here the whole time," Davis said. “We wanted to make this a place where we can come to and sit and feel close to Abbi. Abbi sat here for more than a year, she decomposed here and it’s been heartbreaking.”
The family carries guilt, feeling their efforts were not enough to bring Schaeffer home.
"This whole time, I feel like Kansas City hasn't given my sister enough," Davis said. "I would just like to see more from the Kansas City, [Missouri,] Police Department, more communication. I would like to know that missing people in Kansas City are cared for."
Many questions remain about Schaeffer's disappearance, but court documents provide some insight into what investigators believe happened.
Kansas City, Missouri, police say the investigation into Schaeffer's death is ongoing.
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