Her phones, wallet, car and dog were left behind. Nearly a week later, a DC mother is still missing

Courtesy Aileen Forbes

A terrified family is pleading for help in finding a woman who has been missing for nearly a week after she disappeared from her Washington, DC, home without her phones, wallet, or car.

Antoinette Forbes, 53, a single mother of a young boy and a beloved sister, was last seen in person Friday, September 4, at the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue, NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, which has released a missing-person poster seeking the public’s help.

Police describe Forbes as an Asian woman, 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Her clothing at the time is unknown.

Her family and friends say the circumstances of her disappearance are deeply alarming: Forbes’ two phones, wallet, laptop and car were all left behind at her home, along with her dog, Max. The front door was unlocked.

“We’re in absolute shock and horror,” Forbes’ older sister, Aileen Forbes, told CNN on Thursday. “We have our own very close-knit immediate family, but we have a very large extended family. We’re horrified.”

The police department told CNN it was an active investigation and declined to share further details.

Aileen said she is holding onto hope and refuses to dwell on the worst-case scenarios.

“I am trying really hard not to even conceive of that,” she said when asked about her worst fear. “Because it would mean that my family is destroyed,” she added.

“I’m still trying very hard to keep the faith and the strong, harsh belief that I’ve had from the start that my sister is alive.”

Elizabeth Northrup, a friend of Forbes with whom Aileen is staying as they search for her sister, told CNN they do not believe Forbes left her home voluntarily.

“(Law enforcement) certainly checked all the hospitals. We also have had friends check hospitals. She has not flown,” Northrup said. “She did not walk out of that house and go voluntarily.”

Just days before she was reported missing, the two sisters had spoken on the phone as they routinely did on weekend mornings, Aileen said.

She FaceTimed her sister on Saturday morning. Aileen said she could see during the call that Antoinette was inside her home with her son. They talked about their weekend and the week ahead — an ordinary conversation between two sisters who were especially close, she told CNN.

They planned to talk again the next day, but Aileen said she never heard from her. As the days passed without contact, the family grew increasingly concerned. Aileen said she knew something was wrong when she reached out to her sister to tell her she had Covid-19, and did not receive a response.

“She’s a very busy woman. She’s got a full life,” Aileen said. “Single mother, highly successful professional.”

Forbes works for Eli Lilly, an American multinational pharmaceutical company. A company spokesperson told CNN the company is supporting the police department in its efforts to locate her and encouraged anyone with information to contact police.

“We are deeply concerned for Antoinette and are thinking of her and her family in this uncertain time,” the spokesperson said. “We hope for her safe return.”

But above all, Aileen said, her sister is a mother of a 10-year-old boy.

“(He) is Antoinette’s life,” Aileen said. “Antoinette is a 100% solid, reliable, intelligent, competent woman who is a devoted mother. She would never leave her son. She wouldn’t leave her dog. She wouldn’t leave her sister who needs her.”

So when days went by without a word, Aileen said she alerted family friends, Louis and Margarita, who live close to Forbes’ home and have a key, to check on her on Labor Day Monday.

Margarita texted Aileen after entering the home.

“I think something happened,” the message said, according to Aileen.

“My heart stopped after I read that text,” Aileen said. Louis then called and described what they found.

Inside, according to her friends and family, Forbes’ two phones — including her work phone — were there. So were her wallet and her laptop. Her car was in the driveway. Her dog, Max, was also at the house. But Forbes was gone.

CNN asked police whether Forbes’ home had surveillance cameras and whether investigators had reviewed footage from the home or canvassed neighbors for video.

Police declined to provide details, saying they could not comment because the investigation is active.

For Aileen, the waiting has become its own kind of torment.

“Today it’s getting harder,” she said. “We’re getting later into the week, and some of the dark reality is hitting me.”

But Forbes’ friends and family are not ready to give up hope, and they are asking anyone who may have seen something — however small — to come forward.

“We need to know what happened,” Aileen told CNN. “Someone had to have seen something, anything, some small thing, seen her. We need the evidence that’s going to enable the police to do their jobs and bring Antoinette home.”

The police department is asking anyone with information about Forbes’ whereabouts to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.

感谢艾琳·福布斯提供图片

一名女子在华盛顿特区的家中失踪近一周后，家中无人照看，她的手机、钱包和汽车都已不见踪影，这让家人惊恐万分，他们正在恳求公众帮助寻找她。

据大都会警察局称，53 岁的安托瓦内特·福布斯是一位单身母亲，育有一子，也是一位深受爱戴的姐妹。她最后一次露面是在 9 月 4 日星期五，地点位于西北区内布拉斯加大道 3200 号街区。大都会警察局已发布寻人启事，寻求公众的帮助。

警方描述福布斯为亚裔女性，身高5英尺2英寸（约1.57米），体重约115磅（约52公斤），黑发棕眼。案发时她身穿什么衣服尚不清楚。

她的家人和朋友表示，她的失踪情况令人深感不安：福布斯的两部手机、钱包、笔记本电脑和汽车都留在了家中，她的爱犬麦克斯也在那里。前门没有上锁。

“我们感到无比震惊和恐惧，”福布斯的姐姐艾琳·福布斯周四告诉CNN。“我们自己的直系亲属关系非常紧密，但我们的大家庭也非常庞大。我们感到非常害怕。”

警方告诉CNN，这是一起正在调查中的案件，并拒绝透露更多细节。

艾琳说她仍然抱有希望，拒绝去想最坏的情况。

当被问及她最害怕的事情时，她说：“我真的在努力不去想这件事。因为那意味着我的家庭会因此而破碎。”

“我仍然非常努力地保持着我从一开始就有的坚定信念，那就是我的妹妹还活着。”

伊丽莎白·诺斯鲁普是福布斯的朋友，艾琳目前暂住在她家，她们正在一起寻找福布斯的妹妹。诺斯鲁普告诉 CNN，她们不相信福布斯是自愿离开家的。

“（执法部门）肯定已经核查了所有医院。我们的朋友也去医院问过了。她没有坐飞机，”诺斯鲁普说。“她不是自愿离开家去的。”

艾琳说，就在她被报失踪前几天，两姐妹像往常一样在周末早上通了电话。

周六早上，她和妹妹进行了视频通话。艾琳说，通话中她看到安托瓦内特和她的儿子在家里。她们聊了聊周末和接下来的一周——她告诉CNN，这是一对关系特别亲密的姐妹之间普通的对话。

她们原本计划第二天再联系，但艾琳说她一直没收到妹妹的消息。随着时间推移，联系不上，家人越来越担心。艾琳说，当她联系妹妹告诉她自己感染了新冠病毒，却没有收到回复时，她就知道出事了。

“她是个非常忙碌的女人，生活充实而忙碌，”艾琳说。“单身母亲，事业非常成功。”

福布斯就职于美国跨国制药公司礼来。该公司发言人告诉CNN，公司正在配合警方寻找她的行动，并鼓励知情者与警方联系。

发言人表示：“我们非常关心安托瓦内特，在这个充满不确定性的时刻，我们与她和她的家人同在。我们希望她能平安归来。”

但最重要的是，艾琳说，她的姐姐是一位 10 岁男孩的母亲。

“（他）是安托瓦内特的生命，”艾琳说。“安托瓦内特是一位百分之百可靠、聪明能干、充满正直的女性，也是一位尽职尽责的母亲。她绝不会抛弃她的儿子，绝不会抛弃她的狗，绝不会抛弃需要她的妹妹。”

因此，当几天过去了仍然没有消息时，艾琳说她通知了住在福布斯家附近且有钥匙的家人朋友路易斯和玛格丽塔，让他们在劳动节星期一去看看她。

玛格丽塔进屋后给艾琳发了短信。

据艾琳说，短信上写着：“我觉得出事了。”

“我读到那条短信后，心脏都停止跳动了，”艾琳说。路易斯随后打电话过来，描述了他们发现的情况。

据她的朋友和家人说，福布斯的两部手机——包括她的工作手机——都在屋内。她的钱包和笔记本电脑也在。她的车停在车道上。她的狗麦克斯也在家。但福布斯却不见了。

CNN询问警方，福布斯的家中是否装有监控摄像头，以及调查人员是否查看过该房屋的录像或向邻居索要过视频。

警方拒绝透露详情，称由于调查仍在进行中，他们无法置评。

对艾琳来说，等待本身就成了一种折磨。

“今天越来越难熬了，”她说。“一周快结束了，一些残酷的现实开始冲击着我。”

但福布斯的亲友们仍不愿放弃希望，他们呼吁任何可能目睹过任何情况（哪怕是很小的情况）的人站出来。

“我们需要知道发生了什么，”艾琳告诉CNN。“肯定有人看到了什么，哪怕只是一点点，看到过她。我们需要证据，让警方能够履行职责，把安托瓦内特带回家。”

警方请求任何知晓福布斯下落的人拨打 202-727-9099 或发送短信至 50411。