More than a decade after a young mother was murdered on Crystal Beach, the case is still unsolved.
However, this year the lead investigator says he's still actively working the case and recently turned over new evidence to the Galveston County District Attorney's Office.
Tucked away and secluded, the Bolivar Peninsula is a ferry ride away from Galveston Island. One look at the beach and you realize why some consider it off the grid.
It's a place people come to relax. But when you let your guard down on vacation, sometimes you don't see trouble coming.
Bridgette Gearen, 28, didn't either.
Her daughter Kyra now lives in Austin.
"Drawing has been a big reason why I'm so collected," she said.
She lost her mom at age 2 and deals with it the best way she knows how. But for this 12-year-old, the questions still linger.
"These people just come up to her and she's gone," she said. "Why did that have to happen and why did they have to do that? I don't understand it."
For Kyra's father, who dated Bridgette for eight years, the emotions are raw.
"It'd be nice to be able to talk to her about Kyra just you know, something for her," said Brandon Portie, her former fiance.
Bridgette came to the beach with friends. They were co-workers who invited her on a vacation they took every year, never imagining she would disappear.
"I can tell you the size of this investigation as far as the amount of work is concerned is far beyond anything I've ever conceived or worked," said Lt. Tommy Hansen, with the Galveston County Sheriff's Office. Hansen is the original detective on the case.
Bridgette was from the Beaumont area. She was a legal assistant at a law firm.
She was staying at a corner beach house property right on the water. When night came and her daughter went to sleep, Bridgette decided to take a moonlight drive. Several people planned to go, but she walked down first alone.
"Matter of minutes, because we know when the people came back, based on the phone calls, was a five or six minute time window and she wasn't on the beach very long when a vehicle pulled up next to her," said Hansen.
Witnesses told investigators they heard a scream and then saw someone pull Bridgette into a SUV. But where did she end up?
"Right behind us you'll see a waterway there, where the dunes are is where we think she was ultimately killed," said Hansen, describing an area of Crystal Beach known as the washout.
However, Hurricane Ike came the following year scattering suspects and witnesses across the country. From the dozens of the people on the beach that day, Hansen eventually narrowed in on four suspects.
Now, he's turned new evidence over to the district attorney's office. Hansen believes this could be their best shot at making an arrest.
"Something like that could happen to any one of millions of people that come down here in any given year," he said.
The more years go by, the harder the wait becomes for Bridgette's family. We asked Portie if he thought the case would ever be solved.
"Yes. At least I hope," he said.
For this budding artist, she hopes one day to know more than just what she's seen in her dreams.
"This is really important to me. It's one of the biggest parts of my life, not having a parent," said Kyra, who is determined not to let a killer wash away memories of her mother.
If you have any information on Bridgette's case, contact the Galveston County Sheriff's Office or call Galveston County Crime Stoppers at (409) 763-TIPS.
Download the Missing Pieces Podcast app on iTunes, where you hear more on Bridgette's case. It's featured in Season 1: Episode 2 "A Night at the Beach."