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

Family Searches for Washington Mother Missing for Nearly a Week

Sandego.net – A Washington, DC, family is urgently seeking information about Antoinette Forbes, a 53-year-old mother who vanished from her home while many of the belongings she would ordinarily need to leave remained behind.

Forbes was last seen in person on Friday, September 4, in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue NW. The Metropolitan Police Department has issued a missing-person notice and is asking the public to help locate her.

Investigators describe Forbes as an Asian woman who is 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. What she may have been wearing has not been established.

Personal belongings remained at the house

The circumstances have left relatives and friends deeply troubled. Forbes’ two phones, including her work phone, as well as her wallet, laptop and vehicle were still at the residence. Her dog, Max, was also there, and the front door was unlocked.

Her older sister, Aileen Forbes, said the family has been overwhelmed by fear as the search continues.

“We’re in absolute shock and horror.”

Aileen said their immediate family is especially close and is supported by a large extended family, all of whom are alarmed by Antoinette’s disappearance. Still, she said she is trying to resist imagining the worst possible outcome.

“I am trying really hard not to even conceive of that,” she said. “Because it would mean that my family is destroyed.”

She remains focused on the belief that her sister can be found safely.

“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.”

An ordinary weekend conversation

The sisters had spoken shortly before Antoinette went missing, as they commonly did on weekend mornings. Aileen said they spoke by FaceTime on Saturday morning, and she could see Antoinette at home with her son. Their conversation covered routine plans for the weekend and coming week.

They expected to speak again the following day, but Aileen never received another call. Concern grew as time passed. Aileen said she became particularly worried after trying to tell her sister that she had Covid-19 and receiving no reply.

Antoinette is a single mother and a successful professional, Aileen said. She works for Eli Lilly, which has said it is assisting police efforts to find her and hopes for her safe return.

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

For Aileen, however, Antoinette’s role as the mother of a 10-year-old boy is central to every concern surrounding the case.

“(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.”

Friends found the home undisturbed but empty

After days without contact, Aileen asked close family friends Louis and Margarita to check the residence on Labor Day Monday. They live nearby and had a key to the home.

Margarita sent Aileen a message after going inside that immediately intensified the family’s fears.

“I think something happened.”

Aileen recalled her reaction plainly:

“My heart stopped after I read that text.”

Louis later called to describe what they had found: Antoinette’s phones, wallet, laptop, car and dog were present, but she was not. Elizabeth Northrup, a friend with whom Aileen has been staying during the search, said those details make it difficult for those close to Forbes to believe she chose to leave on her own.

“She did not walk out of that house and go voluntarily.”

Northrup said hospitals had been checked by law enforcement and by friends, and that Forbes had not taken a flight.

Police have characterized the case as an active investigation and have not released further details. Questions about possible surveillance cameras at the home, video review, or neighborhood canvassing have not been publicly addressed because of the ongoing inquiry.

Public help remains vital

Missing-person investigations can depend on small but significant observations: someone who saw a person in the area, a vehicle that seemed out of place, or an encounter that initially appeared routine. Anyone who may have seen Antoinette Forbes after September 4, or who has information that could help establish her movements, should contact the Metropolitan Police Department.

For her sister, each day without an answer has become more difficult.

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