Petition to find Amanda's killer

WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (WOOD) - Family and friends of Amanda Lankey-- a 13-year-old who was killed almost five years ago in White Cloud -- hope that collecting signatures could lead to clues about who's responsible for her death.

Lankey vanished from a friend's room. No Amber Alert was ever issued, and police thought she left willingly until her body was found in the Manistee National Forest.

"We're ready to have this over with. We need closure. We need to figure out where this person's at, where this person is hiding," James Kahn, Amanda's brother, told 24 Hour News 8. "We have other kids in this community, running around every day. Nobody is safe until this person is caught."

Friends and family are hoping they find "Justice for Amanda."

They think a petition could encourage the Newaygo County prosecutor to take the case to a grand jury. And they're hoping something in the case breaks, and somebody talks for the first time.

Charles Smith is helping to collect signatures. He says "there is also the ability for the grand jury to give you immunity for things that you testify about."

They're hoping the trail of clues -- now dated -- could lead to more answers than questions.

There was blood found in a car that a potential suspect altered and then ditched.

Amanda's computer chats that night also reveal another bizarre twist. One conversation says, "If you are still on talk to me, it's important."

She was talking with the screen name "Skitzo Killa."

All leads to nowhere.

Signature by signature, her family vows to continue their search.

"It's a pain that you can't describe. You go on every day wondering if this person is going to strike again, another child," Kahn says. "It's not just pain for us and for our family. But it's just knowing that that person's still out there."

Committee members are hoping to collect 1,000 signatures by April 1.

The White Cloud Fraternal Order of Eagles 4170 posted a $5,000 reward for information about the case. It was matched by a California organization. You can call Silent Observer at (231) 652-1121 if you can help investigators.