BENTON COUNTY, Mo. — A young woman in Central Missouri is desperately searching for her mother.

The Benton County sheriff said 48-year-old Echo Lloyd was last seen in early May. Both her daughter and the sheriff said they need to bring Echo home. 

It’s been nearly 55 days since anyone has seen Echo Lloyd. Her daughter, Kelsey Smith, said she misses her every day.

“She’s not just a mom. She’s a best friend,” Smith said.

Lloyd was last seen on Mother’s Day in Edwards, Missouri. Smith said she talked to her that day and brought her mother flowers and a card and left them on her porch.

At some point that weekend both Lloyd’s cellphone and home phone started going straight to voicemail, her daughter said. 

“My mom did not just wander off,” Smith said. “Something happened to her, and it’s time to figure out what it is.”

Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox said they’re doing their best to find her. He got the Missouri State Highway Patrol involved, along with the FBI. They’ve done ground searches with volunteer firefighters. 

Knox said based on what they found, it does not seem as though Lloyd has the resources to be on her own. There has been no activity on her cellphone, and no use of her bank account. Smith said Lloyd takes medication she needs. 

“She’s on several medications that she does not have with her,” Knox said, “nor does she have her billfold or her car. She is absolutely missing without a trace.”

Both Smith and Knox are asking the public to come forward with tips about what they know in the case.

“I need people to listen and help get her face out there,” Smith pleaded. “I need someone brave to be able to step forward because someone knows what happened to my mom.”

“Somebody somewhere knows something, and we need that person or those people to step forward and help us out to give closure to this family,” Knox said.

Smith said she feels helpless as the days pass. Her mother lives in a rural area with miles of rough land around her home.

She said at this point she could be anywhere.

“We need all the help we can get — from whoever, whatever group,” Smith said. “Bring your dogs, bring your planes, bring your boats, bring whatever you can, bring your people. There’s so much land out here.”

She said she won’t give up until she finds Echo and brings her home.

“I will never stop fighting for her. I will never stop being her voice,” Smith said. “I will not stop until she is home.”

If you have any information on this case, please call the Missouri State Highway Patrol at 573-526-6178. You can also connect with Smith through the Bring Echo Home Facebook page.