Crime & Safety

Prayer Vigil Planned for Jimmy Slack

Family and friends will gather Thursday night outside Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville.

A candlelight vigil is being planned Thursday night for family members and friends to gather and pray for the safe return of Jimmy Slack.

The prayer vigil will begin at 7 p.m. outside in Bridgeville.

“It’s about strength and courage and peace, because this is Christmas and a hard time of year to go through this,” said Maureen Shields, who is the missing Bridgeville man’s sister. “What more can you ask for? We can ask for miracles, but right now we’re just asking for strength.”

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after attending the String Cheese Incident concert at Stage “AE” on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Although the family and police detectives organized several searches for him over the past two weeks, clues into his disappearance have been scarce. Investigators with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s missing persons unit could not be reached for comment Tuesday to discuss the progress of the case.

The vigil will allow people in the community to show support for the family as they continue to hold out hope that Slack comes home safely. Shields said the support from others has been overwhelming with constant comments and feedback on their “Help Find Jimmy Slack” Facebook page.

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“You’re just so sad,” Shields said about the family’s emotions. “This is just a way you can help support the family and say some prayers. I hope everybody thinks about what’s important in your lives and think about how lucky you are.”

, the family continues searching for the 25-year-old. Several immediate relatives drove north to see if Slack had traveled to the family’s cabin near Meadville. Later they handed out fliers at Edinboro, where Slack attended college before transferring to CCAC to continue working on his business degree.

Shields said her brother is a “great guy” and family man who wouldn’t leave without giving an explanation. She said the tight community and his old friends in the Chartiers Valley School District are doing anything they can to help.

“People are really interested in coming out and showing support for Jimmy,” Shields said. “I think a lot of people can relate. People just want to try to help some way.”


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