'She just disappeared off the face of the earth'

On the afternoon of Jan. 3, 2011, Kacey Lynn Prim told her mother she was going out and left their home in Audubon, Camden County.

Prim was 23, and it was normal for her to take walks. So her mother, Tina, didn't question where she was headed.

The next day, Kacey still hadn't returned. Around 2:20 p.m., she called her mother and apologized for being out so long.

"I'll be home in a little while," Kacey Prim said, according to her mother.

Then the call disconnected. Tina Prim, now 63, never heard from her daughter again.

"She just disappeared off the face of the Earth," Tina Prim said.

On Thursday, with five years having passed and investigators out of leads, the Prim family pleaded for anyone with clues on Kacey's disappearance to come forward. And they hoped Kacey could hear them.

"We love you and we miss you," said her sister, Kristi Romano, 38. "And we just want you home."

Authorities said a friend of Kacey Prim's last saw her in Philadelphia, in the 5800 block of Arch Street, the day she called her mother. The family members said they don't know why she was there.

Kacey Prim grew up in Audubon and was a softball pitcher. She loved watching Remember the Titans and often spent time with her father, who regularly attended her games and fished with her.

When he died in March 2006 of Lou Gehrig's disease, Kacey Prim lost her way, family members said. She began using heroin and sometimes traveled to Camden for the drug. Still, she always came home, her sister said.

After several years, Kacey Prim cleaned up and enrolled in night college classes to become a physical education teacher.

Nothing seemed unusual the day she left home, Tina Prim said. Her daughter told her, "I'll be back."

When the call disconnected the next day, Tina Prim realized something was off.

"She would never hang up on me," the mother said.

The family reported her missing that day. They and friends also put out fliers with Kacey's picture in Audubon and Philadelphia. Her sister posted some in Camden.

Camden County Prosecutor's Office Detective Brad Redrow said Thursday that investigators want to give the family closure, but need new clues.

"We tracked down all the leads we had," he said.

The family still has hope. Tina Prim said she often has a dream in which her daughter is reaching out to her from a body of water. She isn't sure what the water means, but the dream allows her to see her daughter's blue eyes and blond hair.

Romano said the family will never stop searching.

"I'll never give up," she said. "I'll never stop looking for her."

Authorities said Kacey Prim is 5-foot-9 and about 130 pounds, and has a butterfly tattoo on her right hip. Anyone with information is urged to call Redrow at 856-225-8643 or Audubon Police Lt. Michael West and Detective Tim Stillman at 856-547-1171.

mboren@phillynews.com

856-779-3829 @borenmc