Family and friends of Jill Behrman, the Indiana University student who vanished during a morning bike ride, gathered Thursday to mark the first anniversary of her disappearance.

The search continues for Behrman, who had just finished her freshman year and was 19 when she disappeared on May 31, 2000.

Some tied yellow ribbons around trees in remembrance.

"It's to renew and refresh, and remember her memory," said Chelsea Greene, a friend of Behrman's. "Hopefully, it will raise awareness, and hopefully, her presence will still be felt a year after her disappearance."

"I don?t think that anyone has wanted to forget, much less been able to," friend Julie Smith added.

Meanwhile, Bloomington churches rang their bells at 9:30 a.m., the time investigators believe Jill logged off her home computer and left for her bike ride.

Behrman's parents, Eric and Marilyn Behrman, say that they need a resolution to the case soon.

"To be waiting a whole year and still not knowing where she is," Eric Behrman said. "You know, if she is deceased, we could have a service for her. There is a need for that. It's been a year, and we need to know where she is. We need a resolution. Even though this will never be over for us."

An 8-inch-tall candle stands on the outside steps of the Behrmans' home, a beacon they light each night for their missing daughter.

There's another candle in the Behrman's life now, this one lit each Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Bloomington. The minister lights it as the choir sings the morning prelude. It's a candle of hope and prayer.

The Behrmans witness its weekly lighting from the church balcony, where they have been sitting for years in the same spot, surrounded by close friends. Familiar surroundings bring comfort, and sorrow.

"For me, being in church, with all the quiet time and time to reflect, sitting up there in the balcony looking out over the sanctuary, is difficult," Eric Behrman said. "As I look around, and see all these families all together, it's hard not to be sad."

The last time the Behrman family was all together was the night before Jill Behrman disappeared.

FBI special agent Gary Dunn has been tracking leads in the disappearance of Jill Behrman. He works with another FBI agent, members of the Bloomington Police Department and the Department of Natural Resources.

They say they're confident they will solve the crime. They continue to believe local people are involved and that eventually someone will come forth with information to put an end to the Behrmans' search.

But it's been a frustrating year.

"What we have is a lot of hearsay, some of it literally fifth- and sixth-hand, that we have to track back to the source," Dunn said. "We deal with facts and confirmation. We want to hear from people, but there is a lot of corroboration and verification."

Dunn calls on the conscience of people withholding information.

"If any investigation, any case, cries out for people, my God, to have a conscience, it's this case," Dunn said. "The most frustrating thing about this case is that all of us want desperately to lessen to some degree the horror the Behrman family is going through, to end this nightmare."

Learn more about the search for Jill Behrman and how you can help solve her disappearance by visiting the Indiana University Alumni Association Web page that has been devoted to her.

Previous Stories:

• May 23, 2001: FBI Looks At Possible Lead In Jill Behrman Disappearance
• April 19, 2001: FBI Has New Theory On Behrman Disappearance