missing postal worker found dead

Kierra Coles was three months pregnant and reportedly called in sick the day she went missing in 2018. After searching through hours of video, police put together a timeline of her disappearance. Local authorities began searching for Athena on Jan. 10, when the postal worker discovered her 5-year-old sister wandering alone and notified police, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. "That's all I'm really praying for.". "Sorting out who's responsible will come next, but we need to find this little girl," Arbeitman said. Those who live or own a business in Cyril, Oklahoma, that could potentially have doorbell camera footage related to Athena are urged to go to the authorities' search site at Family Life Church and contact police, the agency said. The girls' biological parents have been interviewed by agents and are "cooperating with the investigation," the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said. CHICAGO -- Chicago authorities have released new information in the unsolved disappearance of postal worker Kierra Coles, including footage of a "person of interest" in Coles' car, who police. Nebraska authorities are investigating the death and an autopsy has been scheduled to determine the cause of death. Claire Cardona is a breaking news editor for NBC News Digital based in Texas. Postal Inspection Service hotline at (877) 876-2455 and reference case number 2693502. "I miss him -- he or she -- even though they wasn't born yet. ", Wilson added, "If you don't feel comfortable reporting it to law enforcement, please come to our website and report the tip anonymously. 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. That's yet to be determined. Her car was found in front of her apartment with her phone and packed lunch still inside. '", "Any small lead can lead to what really happened," Phillips said. "Since October 2018, Postal Inspectors have tracked down and vetted nearly 400 leads across the country. ", The United States Postal Inspection Service, which is involved in the investigation because Coles was a postal worker, said in a statement, "Chicago Division Postal Inspectors continue to investigate the whereabouts of USPS employee Kierra Coles. New surveillance video released showing the moments before Kierra Coles disappeared has been released by Chicago police. Investigators say this appears to be a natural death after learning that the worker had a medical condition. Agency spokesperson Brook Arbeitman said officials had no comment regarding whether the husband could also face arrest. She was about three months pregnant. Kierra Coles was last seen on Oct. 2, 2018. It's been two years since Kierra Coles, a young, pregnant U.S. postal worker, disappeared from her Chicago neighborhood without a trace. The Milwaukee Police Department responded to a call just before 6 p.m., where they found the 44-year-old worker. Dispatchers said they got a call before 10:30 p.m. Monday night about a postal worker who had gone missing. We promise you we will not in any way disclose your identity. Amid the search, Brook Arbeitman, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said that authorities were finding items in town that "could be relevant" and helpful to the case, though did not elaborate. "Think of a place where a (child) could crawl into and look into those places and if you find anything please notify us.". Law enforcement continues conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance videos in an effort to locate Athena. She said she tries not to overthink the possibilities because the first few months of the disappearance, the stress made her physically sick. It's been two years since Kierra Coles, a young, pregnant U.S. postal worker, disappeared from her Chicago neighborhood without a trace. The FBI, also part of the case, deferred comment to the Chicago Police. The next day, on Oct. 3, "The person of interest is seen parking Kierra's vehicle near her residence before entering the building and exiting with unknown items," Svilar said. "Kierra and the man later got into her car and drove off -- with Kierra in the driver's seat.". Trash service in Cyril, a town about 80 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, has been postponed as investigators search for clues about Athenas location. A caregiver of a missing 4-year-old Oklahoma girl has been arrested, two days after a postal worker found the child's older sister wandering alone near their home, authorities said. The Chicago Police Department shared the new pieces of video on their YouTube channel this month, along with a plea from Coles mother. You may be eligible for a reward of up to $25,000.. US Postal Service _2963935641348344-159532. Police began searching for Athena Brownfield, from Oklahoma, US, on Tuesday . "The person of interest exits the passenger side of the vehicle, but nobody exits the driver's side.". We just really want her home.". She saluted Oklahoma Highway Patrol, pointing out that they've helped in the search and looked from a helicopter view. Arbeitman said Thursday night that officials remain optimistic. High number of mail-in ballots could delay Chicago election results, Michael Madigan's attorneys seek to dismiss part of his indictment, Major change coming to North Side's city council representation. A neighbor's surveillance video showed Coles in her U.S . Workers in transportation and material moving occupations reported the highest number of fatalities. She said that the unnamed postal worker alerted police after seeing the 5-year-old sister, knowing that she "wasn't where she was supposed to be.". Chicago police told ABC News that the case remains a "high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected.". National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Example video title will go here for this video. "Less than an hour later, [Coles'] vehicle was seen arriving and parking in another area of the city," Svilar said. Kierra Coles has been missing since October 2, 2018, when she was 26 years old. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A body found in Monroe County on New Year's Eve has been identified as a missing Toledo letter carrier, according to the Monroe . Is she dead or alive? He agreed to speak to NBC 5 Investigates for the first time about Coles' activities before she disappeared as well as new details that have emerged in the case. Is she cold? asked Karen Phillips, who added that her daughter was excited to be a new mom. The two sisters had reportedly been in the couple's care for at least a year, before the 5-year-old was found alone outside their home in Cyril, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The County Sheriff's Office requested the assistance of the Nebraska State Patrol on February 15. Yeah. "A man who police identified as a person of interest also arrived and entered the residence. Phillips said she always knew the ATM and car surveillance footage existed, but hadn't seen it until now. The Thayer County Sheriff's Office asked for public assistance in locating Balluch as preliminary searches of the grain and feed company location proved unsuccessful. 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. The man was then seen driving off in his vehicle parked on the street overnight. The 5-year-old sister is in state protective custody and didnt require medical care when she was found, Arbeitman told reporters Wednesday. Authorities search for missing 4-year-old Athena Brownfield, of Cyril, Oklahoma. Her car was found in front of her apartment with her phone and packed lunch still inside. Moms of missing Black women gather in Loop to ensure cases are not forgotten: 'Our babies are gone'. The two girls had been under the care of Adams and her husband, officials said. Police won't identify their person of interest. Nancy Rogers, 61, was found dead in a dumpster in San Leandro, Calif., at approximately 8 a.m. on Monday, after co-workers noticed she was missing a few hours after she had arrived at work at 1a.m. "Sometimes I just have to completely put it out of my mind because it'll wreck you.". If you have information that will help us locate Kierra Coles, please contact the U.S. ", Some days Phillips said she "really can't function because my mind just, you know, keeps wondering -- where's my child? "I could never reach nobody. "She's living a great life. "You would think with the pandemic, people are home. "There are many possibilities such as having exhausted all the available evidence. What really happened? Dispatchers said they got a call before 10:30 p.m. Monday night about a postal worker who had gone missing. Alysia Adams is related to the sisters, the agency said. In an earlier statement, the Nebraska State Patrol said that Balluch was missing under "suspicious circumstances.". Authorities have also used tools including search dogs and helicopters equipped with infrared, the state bureau said. 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.". But we hold onto hope," Wilson told ABC News. The postal worker notified the. The family's home was searched, which Arbeitman said is a standard procedure. Did she have her baby? The person of interest "then drives away in his personal vehicle that was parked on the block overnight," Svilar said. Kierra Coles was last seen on Oct. 2, 2018. Coles, a devoted aunt to her nieces and nephews, was the last of Phillips' children to have a baby. . Please do not self deploy to search anything other than your own property," the bureau added. 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. A video produced by police and published by the department on Tuesday sheds new light on the mystery. The following day, the man returned to Coles apartment and left her car parked in front, police said. The young postal worker went missing from Chicago, Illinois in early October 2018. The person of interest gets out of the passenger side of the car, but no one exited the driver's side. For her to vanish "out of the blue," she said, "I can't understand it.". A postal worker has vanished, and the vehicle she was using to deliver mail in a rural area was found burned, reports say. Kierra and the man later got into her car and drove off with Kierra in the driver's seat.". Bruning Grain and Feed Company is located in southeast Nebraska and specializes in processing grains such as soybeans and corn. Kierra Coles missing for. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Those volunteers have been released after searching the entire town, every known vacant house and local waterways. Then, she and her boyfriend decided they were ready for a baby, Phillips said. 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. Jamie Balluch, 43, was last seen on February 2 at his workplace, Bruning Grain and Feed Company. Her parents have not given up hope, but all this time handing out flyers and keeping the search . 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. But we talk about her all the time, we got pictures everywhere. This year, "other competing priorities" -- like the pandemic and the presidential election -- are "definitely hampering the awareness" of missing persons cases, Wilson noted. Police said this video showing newly made public footage from Coles' case is part of a "series launched last month to tell the stories of homicide victims in hopes of solving their cases." It's always something," she told ABC News last week. She would be a mother of a young child now. There's still no sign of her, with the mysterious case classified by Chicago police as "a high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected.". COLUSA (CBS13) - The body of a missing postal worker was found in a ditch west of Colusa. "The next day, the person of interest is seen parking Kierra's vehicle near her residence before entering the building and exiting with unknown items," Svilar said. Postal Inspection Service's hotline at (877) 876-2455, if they have any information related to her disappearance," a spokesperson said. 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. Just say something. ", The Chicago police didn't respond to Phillips' claim that they ignored her calls, but in a statement to ABC News the police department said it urges "anybody with knowledge of her last whereabouts to contact the Chicago Police Department.". 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. NBC 5 Investigates'. 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