- Statement given by spokesman Pat Rice at 5:15 p.m. Saturday:
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These are some of the items stolen from the house. The police are asking people to call in if someone tries to sell these to them
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My name is Pat Rice, and I am an old friend of the family's, and I would like to introduce to you Tamara's dad and mom, Faye and Dr. David Cundey, and this is Tamara's husband, Bernard, and his father, Barney.
We want to take this opportunity to thank this entire community here in Augusta and the greater community far removed from Augusta who has expressed so much love and so much help to the two families. We just want to thank each and every one of you for what you have done and what we know you will continue to do. We know we will not be able to reach a conclusion in this matter until we have the help of some of the folks who are listening to my voice today. And we are hoping and praying that one of you will have some information, will see something, will have some suspicion or have some knowledge that will help us find Tamara and bring her home safely.
In addition the greater community and all the family and friends who have been so supportive and so helpful, to whom we express thanks, we also want to express thanks to the news media who are gathered with us here today, without whom we couldn't get the word out, without whom we couldn't notify the greater public at large, and without whose help we would not find Tamara and she would not come home safely to us. And we know she will.
We also want to thank the combined law enforcement agencies who are working night and day and around the clock on this matter. We have a wonderful sheriff here in Richmond County, Sheriff Ronnie Strength. The FBI is on it, and all the surrounding law enforcement agencies from this entire area are actively involved in the ongoing investigation.
We don't have anything new to tell you at this point in time, and that is not the purpose of this discussion and meeting this afternoon. I think all of you have as much information as we do. and this investigation is ongoing as we speak. The law enforcement agencies are involved in tracking down leads and they are working, as I said, around the clock. We have no additional information of which to provide you today.
We do want to ask for your cooperation. As I am sure everybody can understand, this is a hugely emotional time for the family. How they can function at all, or how they can talk or even deal with the everyday functioning of life is beyond me at this point and time. It's just absolutely impossible therefore for the family to make themselves available all day long, time after time, to all of those who are interested. And thank God for your interest, and thank God for the news media interest. But the family is going to have a spokesman, either me or someone else, in the coming days who will communicate, and we will have a media liaison of some type who will keep in touch with you and answer as many questions as you can. From time to time, I'm sure a family member will have something to say or respond to you. But I hope that you will understand the agony that they are in, and every time they are asked a question, they have to relive what is going on, just adds to their burden and makes life that much tougher right now, And what we want to do is not to have them dwelling time after time on all of the questions.
We want them to be positive and optimistic about the outcome of this matter.
I do want to say a couple of other things. Tonight, at 9 o'clock on St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church, there will be a prayer vigil, and we would invite the entire community to attend that. And then tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 at St. Mary's on the Hill Catholic Church, which is on Monte Sano Avenue on the Hill in Augusta, easy to find, there will be a rosary at 1:30 tomorrow afternoon.
I want to also ask all of you to continue your efforts, continue your searching, continue to keep your eyes open. But most importantly, I think, this is two families of great faith. We want your prayers. We need your prayers. I think prayers are our best hope and our best strength at this point in time. Please, if you can't do anything else, continue your prayers.
On a personal note, I want to take just a second and say I've know these folks for a long time. I've known these families. I've known the grandparents of these families. I've known Bernard and Tamara. I was luck enough and fortunate enough to be at their wedding. I don't know a finer young couple anywhere. Bernard is a young man who all of us would love to have as a son. Tamara is a young lady who all of us would love to have as a daughter-in-law or a daughter. She is a beautiful lady. She is a pediatric nurse and devotes herself to helping others. She is beautiful inside and out and a perfect lady in every respect. They are an absolutely devoted couple. They had the happiest news of their life just in the last few weeks, finding out that Tamara was expecting a baby and just shared that news with their family and friends just within the last few days.
So please pray for them. Please pray for Tamara's safe return. Please pray for these families and that they might have the strength to endure this and they might maintain their hopes.
A couple of other things. If there is anybody out there with any information out there, no matter how slight or insignificant you think it is, please call the Augusta police. The telephone number is 821-1020. And then 821-1080. ...
Bernard does want to make a short statement, and I hope you will respect his interest in that regard.
Bernard Dunstan III:
Tamara, I know you are out there. I love you. Hang in there. We won't ever give up. ... (she is) the most incredible human being in the world. If you could find a way in your heart to let her go, we miss her and we love her so much.
