It’s a sense of hope Maria Jacko locked away for the past year.

“It was really the first day that I thought, yes they could be, they could be found,” says Jacko of the moment she heard about Amanda Berry’s story.

The 27-year-old woman was discovered in Cleveland a decade after first going missing. She was found with two other women who all said they were being held captive.

Jacko’s niece Maisy Odjick, 16, and her friend Shannon Alexander, 17, were last seen near Maniwaki on September 5, 2008. First believed to be runaways, the families insisted the action didn’t add up.

Nearly five years later, news of the happy ending in Cleveland has touched their hearts.

“Having this new story there's always answers, there’s always solutions, there's always things we can do. And action will definitely be taken,” says Jacko.

Jacko says she will update the website www.findmaisyandshannon.com and renew the search for the two women she now believes may still be alive.

“My whole day yesterday was just filled with hope and filled with thoughts of Maisy and Shannon .”

An annual run is being held in Maisy Odjick and Shannon Alexander's name on June 30th.

With a report from CTV’s John Hua