DUBUQUE, Iowa — For the first time in a decade the mother of a missing Dubuque woman talks about the disappearance of her daughter. Next week marks the ten year anniversary of when then 20-year-old Crystal Arensdorf vanished from a Dubuque bar. Police say she was last seen at Knicker’s Saloon in the early morning hours of July Fourth, 2001 when she was asking for ride to East Dubuque. Her family hasn’t seen or heard from her since.

Barb Beam says she will likely never get again get a hug from her daughter. It’s been ten tumultuous years since her daughter Crystal Arensdorf went missing. This is the first time Beam has spoken publicly about the case. “I know Crystal wouldn’t hurt her family like this. She wouldn’t just leave and not get a hold of us,” Beam said.

The family says they’ve tried it all. They’ve talked to psychics. Traveled across the country. They’ve even physically dug underground looking for her remains. Crystal’s Sister, Jen Puetsch said, “I think it gets harder as the years go by because, oh my gosh it’s been 10 years. What has happened?”

In the weeks and months after Crystal disappeared theories about what happened that night consumed the Dubuque Police Department. Hundreds upon hundreds of leads poured into police. But those tips never led to answers. Captain Kevin Klein has been on the case since day one. He’s still searching for that one missing piece. Klein said, “we believe our investigation is complete. We believe we are just one phone call away from somebody helping us with this case.”

One rumor suggested Crystal was secretly involved with illegal drugs. Klein said, “Everybody thought that Crystal was partying with people who used meth. All indications from our investigation show that’s simply not true. “ Klein says police investigated everyone who was at the bar that night. Investigators interviewed several people of interest, including a few who took and failed lie detector tests. But Klein says there has never been enough evidence to arrest anyone. “Somebody who was close to her at closing time either saw her get into a vehicle with somebody or knows who she left with.”

Beam said, “I have four people I suspect. They weren’t supposedly there, no.“

Puetsch said she believes somebody knows something that they are not telling. Puetsch said, “I do, full force. There’s somebody... there’s too many eyes that night.”

But until those questions are answered, the family still holds out hope. Just in case. “Crystal, if you are out there, please come home. We love you,” Beam said.

It’s been ten years of mental anguish and heartache that comes from living with the unknown. But this family says one thing is for sure - they will never stop searching. To mark the ten year anniversary of Crystal’s disappearance, Dubuque police put Crystal’s picture on electronic billboards all over the city of Dubuque. If you know anything about this case, police ask you to call them.