BUTLER, Mo. — Nicole Mallatt turned 37 years old on Friday, but she wasn’t there to celebrate with her family.
Mallatt hasn’t been seen or heard from in seven months, so her family held a celebration and a candlelit vigil where she was reportedly last seen.
"Today is about Nicole, it's her birthday. We're just trying to bring the family together, support her, let her know that we're still here, we're not going to give up on her," Mallatt's sister-in-law Sarah Messick said.
The day wasn't much of a celebration. They looked at pictures of the mom of three and reminisced, but what they really want are answers.
Mallatt went missing the night of November 26, 2019.
"I got a text from her November 25 asking for her to come stay with us a few days. And I'm not going to fail her," Messick said.
Mallatt told Messick things were rough at home, where Mallatt lived with her boyfriend, their children, and his family.
The family says Mallatt's ex-boyfriend said he picked her up the night of Nov. 26 and they spent about 45 minutes together. He said he dropped her off just down the street from the house in rural Bates County, off County Road 3508.
No one knows where she went from there.
The week after she disappeared, searchers found Mallatt’s phone, shoes and backpack not far from the property.
Investigators searched the home shortly after.
The Bates County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t released any updates since December, when it said they hadn't found any evidence to suggest foul play at that time.
