One year later: murder mystery of missing Manatee woman revisited

Anna Maria Island, Florida - Family and friends came together on Holmes Beach at sunset to hold a vigil for motel owner Sabine Musil-Buehler, who went missing one year ago.

As part of the ceremony, roses rest on the shoreline to be taken away by the tide as a symbol of loved ones letting go.

"While we say goodbye tonight, the story will never die," said close friend Debbie Hall.

Buehler was last seen with her ex-convict boyfriend William Cumber who is already serving time on an arson charge. He is also the prime suspect in her disappearance.

"She [Sabine] was living with a person who none of us trusted and none of us wanted her to be with," said Hall of Cumber.

Close friend and employee of Haley's Motel Debbie Akins said she finally came to terms with the loss of her friend. "She's [Sabine] not a missing person. She's gone. She's gone."

But without Buehler's body, loved ones will not know for sure. "The hardest part is not being able to mourn that she's gone - not knowing where she is or what happened," said Hall.

Buehler's estranged husband Tom Buehler was also at the beach vigil but he refused to talk with the media.

The two owned the motel together but they had been separated for awhile before she disappeared.

Detectives say they plan on questioning him soon about a $300,000 life insurance policy he had on her.

Still, they say, their prime suspect is Cumber.

As for the crime, detectives say the case is technically a missing person's case but they are investigating it as a homocide.

If you have any information in this case, call authorities. You could be eligible for a $5,000 reward.