Missing Arkansas Woman Resurfaces at Gas Station After a Year, Arrested Minutes Later on Outstanding Warrant

Tori Milsak, 35, vanished from Hot Springs, Arkansas on June 6, 2024, sparking a frantic search from her family

A 35-year-old woman who disappeared more than a year ago in Hot Springs, Arkansas was unexpectedly found alive after walking into a gas station in Little Rock—only to be arrested shortly after due to an outstanding warrant.

Tori Milsak vanished on June 6, 2024, prompting a prolonged and emotional search by her family and friends. At the time of her disappearance, police noted that Milsak was believed to be struggling with mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Milsak walked into a gas station in Little Rock, about 55 miles away from where she disappeared, on Thursday - just over a year after she was last seen

On Thursday, more than a year after she was last seen, Milsak entered a gas station approximately 55 miles from her hometown. She identified herself as a missing person to a store employee, who promptly contacted local authorities. Police arrived on the scene, confirmed her identity, and spoke with Milsak, who said she had run away from home and had recently recognized herself on news reports about her missing status.

However, officers discovered that Milsak had an outstanding warrant and took her into custody. Details regarding the nature of the warrant have not been disclosed publicly.

Milsak's family, while relieved that she is alive, is now left grappling with unanswered questions about her disappearance and the events of the past year. Her brother, Jason Hamel, expressed a mix of shock and cautious hope following the news.

She said she had run away from her home a year ago, but saw herself on the news when she was reported missing

"I’d been told that she might have been murdered multiple times," Hamel said. "Hope was lost. I mean, like everybody said, you hold onto that 1 percent that she'd be found alive, and she's that 1 percent."

He explained that Milsak had been dealing with severe emotional trauma and had gradually cut off communication with family in 2023. He revealed that her disappearance followed a particularly difficult time for their family, including a tragic motorcycle accident involving another sibling.

Recalling their last conversation, Hamel said, “She called sounding distressed, but I dismissed her. She said she’d call back in a week, and then she was gone. That’s haunted me for the last year—thinking that maybe if I had taken an extra five minutes, things could have been different.”

As Milsak remains in custody awaiting her court appearance in Garland County this July, her family hopes to reconnect and begin the healing process. Hamel says he hasn’t spoken to her yet but is eager to understand what happened during the year she was missing.

“Was she held against her will? Was she safe? It’s been a year. I just want to see her, make sure she’s okay,” he said.

Milsak’s reappearance has raised many questions, but for her family, it marks a glimmer of hope after a long, agonizing search. They now look ahead to rebuilding her life and finding answers.