Watch CBS News

Missing Frederick Woman's Boyfriend Sets Up Fund To Bring Her Home

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A new appeal for information in an unsolved disappearance. Frederick native Robyn Gardner has been missing in Aruba for three months now. Her boyfriend won't give up hope she is alive, and he's set up a fund to keep the search going.

Meghan McCorkell has more on where the money is going.

Richard Forester says he's still believes Robyn Gardner is alive. Now he says he's doing whatever he can to bring her home.

Vanished without a trace. For 100 days, Robyn Gardner has been missing.

"The first thing that pops in my head everyday when I wake up is Robyn, and what ring of fire do I have to go through next," Forester said.

Richard Forester says he's tortured by the questions surrounding his girlfriend's disappearance. The 35-year-old went missing in Aruba in August. Her travel companion-- 50-year-old Gary Giordano remains behind bars-- a suspect in her death.

Surveillance images show the two at a restaurant the day Gardner disappeared.

Giordano claims she was swept out to sea while the two were snorkeling but no body was ever found.

"Unless there's proof to me that she's not alive, then there's no reason to think otherwise," Forester said.

That's why Forester has started the Robyn Gardner Foundation to raise money to search for Gardner. The foundation launched last week. So far, donors have contributed $2,000.

"I want to use it for reward money," he said. "I want to use it for search teams. I want to use it if we need private investigators."

Skeptics have questioned Forester about what he's doing with the money. He has registered the foundation as a non-profit with the state of Maryland.

"Any sort of misappropriation of these funds would land me in prison," he said.

He says his only goal-- to find Gardner and bring her home.

Thursday, a lawyer representing the suspect-- Gary Giordano-- quit. Giordano has been detained in Aruba since August 5.

For more information on the Robyn Gardner Foundation, click here.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.