at first, jasmine caldwell of kcen tv didn't pay much attention to it. >> it happens often.t thought? she must have went awol, just swept it under the rug. but then the next day, you know, it wouldn't go away. it was like, let's look into this. >> vanessa's family and friends are determined to find her. >>reporter: what caught jasmine 's eye right away was the determination of her family. >> you didn't leave the area. you stayed. >> we weren't going to leave until we know something. until we find her. i know she's with us, i can feel it. >> by now, fort hood had dispatch soldiers to look for vanessa. local, state and federal law enforcement help. but as the number of days without vanessa grew, the family wondered if the search lacked urgency. so they kept pressure on investigators and searchers, even looking for her themselves. >> it's a matter of time before somebody, you know, actually confesses something. or we find a way to find her ourselves. >> we were searching anywhere, printing posters, putting them everywhere, calling people. >>reporter: dateline posted a missing i