NJ family wants answers year after grandmother vanishes without a trace

ATCO, New Jersey (WPVI) -- It's been exactly a year since Norma Yates was last seen in her Atco, New Jersey neighborhood.

She vanished without a trace leaving her daughter, Nichole Starinieri Ennis, on a mission to find her.

"Norma is fun, full of life, she made mistakes like all of us. She's a great person, missed by many. We know Norma didn't walk away. Our mom would never leave us," said Starinieri Ennis.

When police last made contact with Yates she was charging her phone and asked for water. The last time she was seen was on July 29, 2023.

"We love her and we know someone knows something," said Starinieri Ennis.

Yates turned 63 during her disappearance. Starinieri Ennis has tried multiple approaches: utilizing a private investigator, a psychic medium and following up on leads on her own.

The grandmother who often watched her grandkids was last seen on Vineyard Road in Atco, where she lived in a trailer home.

Yates was known for being tidy, yet her home was not left organized, according to her family.

She left behind her pocketbook, debit card and cell phone.

Neighbor Michelle Gomez said missing person posters with Norma's face are still up around Winslow Township.

"We just drove through Berlin and I found a posting on a telephone pole. I'm like, 'Norma Yates, it's been one year today!" recalled Gomez.

Neighbor Mike Goldsboro showed us a photo of Yates, which is possibly one of the last photos of her seen alive.

Goldsboro called police out of concern for her because she seemed disoriented.

"That was her in my yard, that was the last day I saw her this time," said Goldsboro.

That day, police made contact with her and left.

"How does a person just disappear, no one saw her?" asked Goldsboro

Yates's photo is in the national missing persons database. Early in her disappearance, New Jersey State Police assisted in the search.

Winslow Police declined to comment on camera.

"Someone knows something," said Yates's daughter Nichole. "Our work is not done."