Ride for Missing Children returns to Sauquoit. Here's how it honors Sara Anne Wood

Cyclists will ride through Oneida and Herkimer counties Wednesday to raise awareness for missing children and pay tribute to Sara Anne Wood, a 12-year-old Sauquoit girl who was abducted and killed nearly 30 years ago.

Cyclists with The Ride for Missing Children will take off from Sauquoit Valley Elementary School following a 7 a.m. ceremony at Sara's memorial, according to Jody Wheet, program director for The Ride for Missing Children.

It will be the first in-person ride after being held virtually the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wheet said. The ride, which is usually held in early June, was also delayed to September this year due to the pandemic.

Sara was 12 when she was last seen Aug. 18, 1993. She disappeared along Hacadam Road in Litchfield, Herkimer County, close to her home. Her remains were never found. Lewis S. Lent Jr. later confessed to her kidnapping and murder.

The Ride For Missing Children dates back to 1995, when Sara's father rode from Utica to Washington, D.C., Wheet said.

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In addition to the new date, there will be some other changes this year, such as where the cyclists will ride.

"We're trying to start further east to reach more schools," Wheet said. "Raise some awareness within those schools."

The 81-mile ride will pass through West Winfield, Ilion, Mohawk, Herkimer, Poland, Utica and New Hartford, among other locations. Cyclists will end at Sauquoit High School around 5 p.m. and hold a closing ceremony featuring families of missing children, Wheet said.

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"This year's motto is trying to take it back to its roots," he said, later adding. "We want to get back to our roots, get back to why we're riding."

The first official Ride For Missing Children went from Albany to Utica before local routes were developed in the Utica area as well as Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Syracuse. The rides have since grown into the biggest annual fundraiser for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

H. Rose Schneider covers public safety, breaking and trending news for the Observer-Dispatch in Utica. Email Rose at hschneider@gannett.com.