Glenpool woman still missing after 32 years, daughter won't stop searching for answers

A Glenpool mother went missing 32 years ago Monday and her daughter says she will never stop searching for answers.

Tracy Samuels' daughter is now a grown woman with children of her own, but, has never quit needing her mother.

While she admits she's lost hope sometimes along the way, Kristina Ritzhaupt, says she wants people to know, her Mother's life mattered,

So as long as Kristina has breath in her lungs, she says she'll keep trying to get answers.

The last day Tracy Samuels' was seen alive

When Kristina Ritzhaupt went to school on February 17th, 1993, she expected her mom to pick her up that afternoon. Samuels dropped off her 5-year-old son at his grandparents.

Then she was last seen in West Tulsa, a witness saw her getting into a Chevy flatbed with a man. 

"I waited at school until almost 5:30 and my mom didn't show up to pick me up, and so that wasn't normal," her daugher Tracy said.

A daughters intuition

Two days later, it was Kristina's eighth birthday, and still no sign of Tracy Samuels.

"Birthdays were a big deal for her, she celebrated us so big and loved us so much, and for me that's really tough because I've known in my heart since the day, she went missing she was never coming home," Ritzhaupt said.

The search for answers 

"Whatever happened that day, somebody didn't get to silence her voice, it made mine louder, it made everyone who loves her louder and we're just not going to stop until we figure out what happened to her," Ritzhaupt said.

Justice in Kristina's mind, has changed for her throughout the years, and now all she wants is her mother's remains.

"I don't know if whoever did this to her will ever really pay for what they did and nothing is ever going to bring her back, But for my family to have a place to honor her properly where she's not disposed of like a piece of trash," Ritzhaupt said.

Asking for help

Kristina is asking anyone to come forward with any information they may have to finally close Tracy's case.

"I hope that if they see this today, they come forward, and they finally get rid of that weight that they've carried all these years and do the right thing they still have the opportunity to do the right thing if they're walking on this side of heaven," Ritzhaupt said.

Because Tracy Samuels is Native American, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has taken over the case, they released a statement that says in part new leads have been developed but they still need leads.

You can email a tip, here OJS_MMU@bia.gov or call 1-833-560-2065.

Related Stories:

1. Family of Glenpool Woman Missing 25 Years Still Has Hope
2. Glenpool Mother’s Disappearance Still a Mystery 18 Years Later
3. New Details Offer Hope in Glenpool Woman’s 1993 Disappearance
4. Glenpool Families Still Seeking Answers in Mother’s Disappearance
5. Tulsa Mother Missing Longer Than She Was With Her Family