Whitney Duncan Found Out Her Cousin Had Gone Missing the Same Day She Learned She Made ‘Survivor’
For country singer Whitney Duncan, tragedy struck on a day that should have been one of celebration. The same day that Whitney Duncan learned she made Survivor, she also found out her cousin, Holly Bobo, had gone missing.
When Holly Bobo mysteriously vanished, it sent a wave of shock, sadness, and terror throughout the community.
What happened to Duncan’s cousin Bobo?
Bobo was only 20 years old when she was kidnapped from her Tennessee home while preparing to leave for nursing school. The cousin of the Survivor: South Pacific cast member seemed to vanish into thin air. Her family members soon launched a search.
However, the website All That’s Interesting reports that there were very few leads and almost no clues. On the day that she disappeared, April 13, 2011, Bobo’s mother got a concerning phone call at work from one of the neighbors saying that there had been screaming at the house. Bobo’s mom called home, only to have her son say that his sister’s car was still in the driveway.
Bobo had been last seen studying for an exam. When her brother looked out the window after speaking to his mother, he saw a tall man in the backyard.
Many concerned citizens and friends put out the word that Bobo was missing, and Duncan used her connections to bring more publicity to the case. It wasn’t until a few years later that detectives finally got a break.
A man initially suspected in the disappearance was arrested on an unrelated charge and questioned. He told law enforcement that he had seen his brother and another friend with Bobo the day she vanished.
Tragically, Bobo’s remains were found in a wooded area not far from her home. According to NBC News, the suspects — Zach Adams, Dylan Adams, Jason Autry, and Shayne Austin — were arrested and charged.
Whitney Duncan found out about the disappearance the same day she learned she made ‘Survivor’
April 13, 2011 should have been a happy day for Duncan. It was the same day that she learned she made it onto season 23 of the popular show, Survivor. So while she should have been jumping for joy, she was dealing with one of the biggest tragedies of her life instead.
Us Weekly reports that despite what was going on, Duncan had a great time on the show, and fell in love with now-husband Keith Tollefson during filming. “Whitney and Keith did not expect to fall in love on the show, but they did,” according to a source. How wonderful for them.
How did Bobo’s disappearance impact Duncan?
Naturally, Duncan hasn’t forgotten her cousin and likely never will. According to the same source, “I think learning about her cousin being abducted the same day she found out she would be on Survivor gave her a new perspective on life and love and made her realize that life is too short to be unhappy.”
The website Sounds Like Nashville reports that the country singer dedicated an emotional song to her cousin called “Better Place” several years after Bobo’s disappearance.
“When my cousin, Holly Bobo, went missing over six years ago, people started asking when I was going to write a song for her,” Duncan posted on Facebook. “However, the timing never felt right — the wound was too fresh for me and my family. I have hardly ever been able to talk about it without my emotions taking over. As time has gone by, I have finally been able to realize what I wanted to say to her.”
