Family of Savannah Spurlock donating tip boxes to other families with missing loved ones

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The family of a Kentucky mother who was murdered last January is helping other families still searching for their missing loved ones.

According to a report by WLEX, the family of Savannah Spurlock has begun donating tip boxes to families of missing persons.

For people like Sandra Hasty, the donations are a welcome blessing. Her son, then 38-year-old Michael Gorley, hasn't been seen since May 2015, when he vanished after spending time with friends.

"Those friends," said Gorley's sister, Jennifer Coffey, "told us he went walking off, but his hat and shoes were still on the porch. Their stories didn't add up when we went looking for Michael, so instantly we knew something was wrong."

That's how the family of Savannah Spurlock says they felt when Spurlock didn't come home from a night out in Lexington last January. The Madison County mother was eventually found, deceased, many months later.

The Spurlocks say they know the pain that's felt by Hasty and Coffee and the family members of other missing people, so they wanted to help by donating tip boxes that were used when Savannah was still missing.

"Very appreciative, and we thank them," Hasty said of the donation, which will also benefit two more families in central Kentucky.

The boxes, now painted orange to represent Gorley's favorite color, have been attached to telephone poles in Junction City on East Shelby Street, and Hustonville Road.

Anyone with information with Gorley's disappearance can leave a handwritten or typed message and may do so anonymously. The Spurlocks feel this type of strategy may have helped police with their investigation into Savannah's disappearance.

"I think the people involved [with Savannah] didn't think she'd be found, but she was. So it's proof things like that can help, so that's what we're hoping for," Coffey said.

And they say they won't stop being hopeful until they have answers.

"We've missed five birthdays, five Christmases and four New Year's," said Hasty, who is always counting with a much different calendar than most.

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