DENVER, (KDVR) — Across the state of Colorado, 1,282 people are considered missing. 

People like Felicia Martinez, who disappeared in Aurora two years ago last week. 

Her cell phone and bank account haven’t been used since, according to her family, leaving them with more questions than answers.

“Some days I’ll have a lot of hope, and other days it will come to me that she’s been missing for two years,” her daughter, Maddie Martinez, said.

Saturday, Maddie and dozens of others gathered inside a Denver convention center for a “Missing in Colorado” event hosted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 

Investigative Analyst Audrey Simkins said her team called every single family of those 1,282 missing persons and invited them to the event.

“It’s really just kind of illustrating that we leave no stone unturned when we’re looking for these folks and wanting to get answers for their families,” said Simkins. 

Simkins said of those 1,282 people, 580 have been missing for more than a year. Those cases are especially tough, she said, as families begin to process where their loved ones might be.

“It’s in those cases we want to ensure we’re collecting these different pieces of information, so if we do find the remains, we can identify the person and get them home,” she said.

At Saturday’s event, families were given the ability to offer DNA reference samples, which will allow investigators to link remains to people on the list. 

They were also presented with new technology and different databases that might help track their loved ones down.

“I do think that these events are very helpful for the families,” said Martinez’s sister Sonia.