CANTON, Ohio — Each button hanging from a necklace worn by Jackie Godbey has pictures and precious memories of her son, Ryan Godbey.
"The first picture is my mom, Ryan and I," she said while looking down at the necklace and fighting back tears.
Jackie touches the jewelry to give her strength and to pray for answers.
"Everyone that loves Ryan, we just want to have proper closure, so we're truly advocating right now and our mission is to bring Ryan home, find his remains and give him a proper sendoff to heaven."
Ryan was known in the local LGBTQ+ community as a drag queen and thrived on performing.
He was last seen alive on June 20 at Darlin's Crew, an LGBTQ+ nightclub on Cherry Avenue NE in Canton.
After he vanished, his family and friends searched for him and posted flyers, but it wasn't until July 3 that they learned Daniel Mattay was charged with Ryan's murder.
RELATED: Canton Police charge man in connection to missing person, Ryan Godbey
The two were dating and lived together, according to Jackie.
"I can't fathom the crime itself," Jackie said.
According to a search warrant, blood stains were found in Ryan's apartment on 17th Avenue NW, a glass table was flipped over, and there appeared to be a physical fight.
The Adult Parole Authority helped police locate Mattay, and he was brought to the Canton Police Department.
The search warrant indicates Mattay made "several inconsistent statements," making him the suspect in Ryan's disappearance.
Mattay is being held in the Stark County Jail. His case will be presented to a grand jury.
Meanwhile, six weeks after Ryan was reported missing, his family still has no idea where his body is.
RELATED: Canton Police believe missing 26-year-old man last seen June 19 has died
A family reward that stood at $10,000 has been increased to $15,000 for information that helps find Ryan.
"I just want people to know how good of a person he was, and if you know something, say something," said his stepsister, Kristen Godbey. "Help us find him."
Jackie said not knowing where her son is located is the stuff nightmares are made of.
"Where is he? Is there water? Is there dumpsters? What is involved with what they did?" Jackie said. "We don't know what they did. Your imagination takes the worst of you."
Jackie said Ryan's drag queen name was JJ. The family has created the Ryan JJ Godbey Memorial Fund. Money raised will be used to honor Ryan and keep his memory alive.
With guidance from StarkPRIDE, the family is looking for ways to donate money to organizations that were important to Ryan.
"My son was a star and I want people to know that he was a good person. He loved. He laughed," Jackie said.
A celebration of life took place last week at the Canton Palace Theatre. Jackie said about 100 people were there, and the ceremony truly captured his spirit.
"We had pictures, balloons, beautiful flowers, Ryan's music, star lights and glitter," Jackie said.
While the service was special, Jackie feels she won't be able to truly say goodbye to Ryan until his remains are found.
"We all have children. We all have families, so how does this continue to go on? I don't understand, and I don't know if I ever will," she said.
A flyer that mentions the $15,000 cash reward gives two numbers to call for those who have information: Canton detectives at 330-489-3144 and an nonymous line of 330-485-3830.
