Vanished College Coeds:Brooke Wilberger and Maura Murray on Friday's "20/20"

Four years after the disappearance of two young coeds, their families are still searching for answers. Where are their daughters? Who took them? The family of a missing Oregon teen face the reality that she may not come home.The families of Brooke Wilberger and Maura Murray have forged an unlikely bond since the college students vanished within three months of each other in 2004.Now police are targeting a convicted sex offender in Wilberger's disappearance, but there is not yet a suspect in Murray's case.For more information on the latest developments in the cases, watch the story tonight on "20/20" at 10 p.m. ET

The two women were just starting their adult lives in early 2004. But too often for young people, particularly young women, that newfound independence is coupled with dangerous vulnerability.Figures gathered by the FBI say there are more than 21,500 active missing person cases involving people between the ages of 18 and 29. Wilberger and Murray are now included in that tragic statistic. Their stories powerfully illustrate how communities can rally, and how families' faith and hope get tested when a loved one has vanished.Their stories are similar in many ways. Both were smart, beautiful young women with loving friends and family. They were active in their communities. They had boyfriends who adored them. They were on the verge of very bright futures. Then they disappeared.