The family of a young woman who went missing on Dec. 20 is worried about her safety more than a week after her they last saw her.
Vanessa Alkurd’s mother, Mayelli Alkurd, said her then 18-year-old daughter took the trash out on Dec. 20 and never returned.
“We love her and that we need to know if she’s okay,” Alkurd said in a message to her daughter.
Mom said though stress from school weighed heavily on Vanessa, she has a meaningful life here with four younger siblings looking up to her.
“She volunteers at a Sunday school. She loves her siblings. This is very unlike her. I mean she crochets and she loves doing little markets and selling her plushies and making children happy,” Alkurd said.
Vanessa’s passport, some cash and clothes were gone.
One note family said the young woman left behind was concerning. It spoke of dreams where harm may come to the family if Vanessa stayed.
“It showed signs of mental health. That she needs help,” Alkurd said.
In a second message, Vanessa wrote to her little sister, Levien Alkurd, promising she’d return.