Family and friends of longtime missing teen say goodbye while police revisit case

Hang Lee's family has spent 24 years waiting for their daughter, their sister, their friend to come home. Now, after all this time, they are finally letting go. 

Lee has been missing since 1993, disappearing on the way to a job interview at a small painting business. She was 17 at the time. 

A special Hmong ceremony meant to release Lee's spirit drew a crowd of her friends, family and community members Saturday, but the mystery of what exactly happened to the teenager made saying goodbye difficult for some in attendance. 

 "I'm holding on to my sister," Hang's brother Koua Lee said. "I don't want to let go."

"I'll never give up on thinking that she can come home," Tania Howey, a friend of Lee's, added. 

Also making an appearance at the ceremony were the police officers who worked on her case--and are currently in the process of revisiting the details with new technology. 

Officials are still looking for a breakthrough in the case after a longtime person of interest was arrested last August, hoping those charges against 54-year-old Mark Steven Wallace--alleged kidnapping, stalking, violating a no contact order and possession of methamphetamine--can breathe some life into the cold case. 

Police say they plan to talk to Wallace soon.

Crime Stoppers Minnesota is offering an undisclosed reward for information on the case and encourages anyone who can help to come forward. The Crime Stoppers hotline is (651) 452-7463.