"Sorting out who's responsible will come next, but we need to find this little girl," Arbeitman said. Oklahoma authorities have recovered a child's remains in rural Grady County during the search for missing 4-year-old Athena Brownfield. A 2-year-old boy has been found safe in Florida after he seemingly wandered away from his Hernando County home. And were asking and pleading with them for that information., 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Kierra Coles disappeared in 2018 while three months pregnant, Newly released footage shows Coles withdrawing money from an ATM, Coles, a USPS worker, was last seen wearing her uniform despite calling out of work that day, Her family and the USPS have offered a reward for information on her whereabouts. Coles was the last of Phillips' children to have a baby, and the entire family was excited to see her as a new mother -- especially Coles herself. The agency . A suspended case can always be re-opened if more evidence becomes available. "What's most important is Kierra Coles case and every cold case gets the attention it deserves in Black and Brown communities," Tanisha Williams, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, said. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Masako Yamada Kenley was last seen in Midvale at. For her to vanish "out of the blue," she said, "I can't understand it.". "The postal carrier reported the incident to the Cyril Police Department and that was when it was discovered Athena, 4, was missing," continued the OSBI. Newsweek has reached out to Thayer County Sheriff's Office for comment. Athena was reported missing earlier Tuesday afternoon. The purpose of the event is to bring to attention to all the unsolved cases of missing women and girls of color. Agency spokesperson Brook Arbeitman said officials had no comment regarding whether the husband could also face arrest. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. New surveillance video released showing the moments before Kierra Coles disappeared has been released by Chicago police. The County Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol on February 15. Those volunteers have been released after searching the entire town, every known vacant house and local waterways. By Minyvonne Burke and Claire Cardona. Authorities in Oklahoma are searching for a little girl after a postal worker found her 5-year-old sister alone and wandering around. Men were more likely to be fatally injured in the workplace, with women only making up 8.6 percent of workplace fatalities. Just a few hours later, around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, the worker was found dead in Portsmouth. In an earlier statement, the Nebraska State Patrol said that Balluch was missing under "suspicious circumstances.". Kierra Coles has been missing since October 2, 2018, when she was 26 years old. If you have information that will help us locate Kierra Coles, please contact the U.S. The following day, the man returned to Coles apartment and left her car parked in front, police said. For Phillips, the daily pain of not knowing what happened to her daughter is unbearable. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $25,000.. US Postal Service _2963935641348344-159532. Dispatchers said they got a call before 10:30 p.m. Monday night about a postal worker who had gone missing. Chicago police Tuesday released some of the last images of her before she vanished. That's yet to be determined. Chicago police told ABC News, "At this point, anybody with knowledge of her last whereabouts is asked to contact the Chicago Police Department as we are seeking any and all information in an attempt to locate her and we won't stop until we do.". National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. ", For Coles' mother, as each day passes, she's "looking for leads, just hoping somebody will come forward. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "Were just digging for every clue, processing everything that we can to see if it can help us locate her," she said. "It's already frustrating that it's gonna be two years, and for y'all [the Chicago Police Department] to say y'all don't have enough to go on, it's really disappointing," she said. Moms of missing Black women gather in Loop to ensure cases are not forgotten: 'Our babies are gone'. Coles' mother said the painful void remains for their family but hopes someone with information will ease their suffering. "For her to be a mother, we were so excited. The search has covered the town, with the state bureau, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, volunteers and other agencies looking in vacant homes and waterways. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at cpdtip.com. The person of interest gets out of the passenger side of the car, but no one exited the driver's side. OHP also shared photos of its officers and volunteers looking for Athena. "It was just days of searching and passing out flyers and praying," Phillips said. When contacted by PEOPLE, Arbeitman did not give any additional information on the search for Athena. "Sometimes I just have to completely put it out of my mind because it'll wreck you.". Remains found in rural Grady County, outside of Rush Springs, on Jan. 17 have been positively identified as those of Athena, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said on Thursday. Reward poster provided by the U.S. Fatalities due to violence or injury by persons or animals increased to 761 in the year, while exposure to harmful substances or environments led to 798 workplace fatalitiesthe highest figure since 2011. Is she cold? asked Karen Phillips, who added that her daughter was excited to be a new mom. The search became a "recovery operation," the agency said on Jan. 16, several days after one of her caregivers was arrested on a murder charge in connection with the child's disappearance. One of the main forms of evidence in the case was surveillance footage obtained from a neighbour's residence, which appeared to show a woman resembling Kierra walking in the area of 81st Street and Vernon Avenue. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said on Jan. 16 that the search was now considered a "recovery operation" and that its agents and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol were searching areas of Caddo County for the child's remains. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. But no, it has increased. They're gone to lunch, they'll call me back, they're out of the office. A missing Utah mother-of-four was found dead on July 4, and a man described by authorities as her "acquaintance" is accused of murdering her. Police also executed a search warrant at the parents' home, a move that Arbeitman said was "standard procedure" to find any clues of her whereabouts. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. "We just want Kierra brought home safe," Karen Phillips, Kierra's mother, said. The family's home was searched, which Arbeitman said is a standard procedure. "I have to do all that I can to bring her and her child home safe.". unsolved disappearance of postal worker Kierra Coles, Chicago artist brings attention to missing women of color in 'Still Searching' series, Kierra Coles' family fights to keep case active on missing pregnant postal worker's birthday. Did she have her baby? Law enforcement continues conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance videos in an effort to locate Athena. Of those who died in the workplace, workers aged between 45 and 54 accounted for one-fifth of the total number with 1,087 fatalities in 2021. The girls' biological parents have been interviewed by agents and are "cooperating with the investigation," the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said. CHICAGO (WLS) -- The family of a missing pregnant postal worker is now offering a $45,000 reward in the case. As for whether Athena could be in danger, Arbeitman said "there's not anything to indicate that other than she's a little child and she's missing. When a reporter asked whether Athena's parents were home at the time she was reported missing, Arbeitman said the focus remains on finding the child. Coles' boyfriend could not be reached by ABC News and the Chicago police declined to comment about him, citing the ongoing investigation. Kierra Coles was three months pregnant and reportedly called in sick the day she went missing in 2018. ", Some days Phillips said she "really can't function because my mind just, you know, keeps wondering -- where's my child? She would be a mother of a young child now. Investigators say this appears to be a natural death after learning that the worker had a medical condition. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. There is no evidence at this point to suggest foul play. But we hold onto hope," Wilson told ABC News. Phillips vowed, "I'm not gonna let up until my daughter is found. "Less than an hour later, [Coles'] vehicle was seen arriving and parking in another area of the city," Svilar said. Please contact the U.S. Kierra Coles has been missing since October 2, 2018, when she was 26 years old. "We continue to urge the public to contact the U.S. Is that in danger? Please do not self deploy to search anything other than your own property," the bureau added. Authorities in Oklahoma are searching for a little girl after a postal worker found her 5-year-old sister alone and wandering around. ", "Somebody knows something other than the person that did whatever happened," she said. CBS 2 reports that Masako Kenley, who disappeared on Sunday, was found deceased along the Jordan River near 8900 S. 700 West in Lincoln, Utah. Life Life Lifestyle Death Missing. Copyright 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. The man was then seen driving off in his vehicle parked on the street overnight. PORTSMOUTH, Va. Portsmouth Police are working to learn how a postal worker died after she was found dead on her route. A postal worker spotted Athenas 5-year-old sister by herself near Adams house in the town of Cyril about 2 p.m. Tuesday and called police, the state bureau said. "People forget these cases because as time goes on they believe the individual may have been found or that they are deceased. The remains were found in a rural area on Jan. 17. The FBI, also part of the case, deferred comment to the Chicago Police. Phillips said police have not provided any information whenever she's called over the last year. She's on her own in the elements. In its most recent update, OSBi said that "Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) Emergency Response Team (ERT) concluded a grid search with local volunteers. Is she safe? Chicago police told ABC News that the case remains a "high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected.". RELATED: US Postal Service employee, 26, who was pregnant, missing from South Side for one week, "During the course of that night, Kierra entered her residence in the 8100-block of South Vernon," Lieutenant Svilar said. "I try to stay strong for the other kids, I try to not really break down in front of them. "Not even my worst enemy would I wish this type of pain on," she said. Just a few hours later, around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, the worker was found dead in Portsmouth. 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