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Today, Saturday, January 5, 2008, marks the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Jodi Sanderholm. Jodi was only 19 years old when she disappeared from the local Subway on a sunny and cold afternoon. No one could have guessed the tragic turn of events that would mark the end of her life.

Jodi was one of the brightest rising stars in Arkansas City, Kansas. She was an Honor Student and pre-dentistry major at Cowley County Community College. She was also a very talented member of the Cowley College Danceline Team, and an instructor at the Ark City Dance Studio. On January 5, 2007, Jodi had dance class in the morning, and then went to Subway for a bite to eat. Afterwards, she headed to a friend's house. However, she never arrived at her friend's house, and in the evening, a search was initiated for her. After four days of searching by local law enforcement and a host of volunteers, Jodi's car was found in a lake in southeastern Cowley County. Soon after that discovery, Jodi was found nearby. When Jodi was found, police would only say that they had a suspect that they were questioning, but had made no arrests.

Finally, a man named Justin Thurber, who had been a 'groupie' of the Cowley College Danceline Team, and an employee at the Subway restaurant where Jodi was last seen, was charged in connection with Jodi's death. There had been several reports prior to Jodi's death that Thurber had followed and harassed Jodi and other girls on the dance team. It's unfortunate that he wasn't locked away in a jail cell in time to save Jodi's life. At the time of this article, Thurber lingers in jail, wasting taxpayer dollars, awaiting trial which is scheduled for sometime this summer.

In June of 2007, Jodi's friends had an 18-inch sculpture made to honor her memory. It is now on display at the Ark City Dance Studio. There are several memorial videos posted in her honor on YouTube - a link to one such video is listed next to this article. Tonight, on the anniversary of Jodi's death, instead of a candlelight vigil like the ones held last year in remembrance of Jodi, regular classes were held at the Dance Studio, with a time of quiet reflection afterwards. While life may seem normal, it will never be normal again for Jodi's friends and family.

Learn more about this author, Maggie O'Leary.
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