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By Marni Rose McFall
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Law enforcement in Washington, D.C., has intensified a search for Antoinette Forbes, a single mother who has been missing for over a week.
Forbes, 53, is an associate vice president and the head of public affairs at the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. She was last seen on September 4 in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue NW, and family members, friends and authorities have since been searching for her.
The Metropolitan Police Department is appealing to the public for help in locating Forbes and has classified her case as a critical missing person case.
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Forbes, an Asian woman with black hair and brown eyes, is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs about 115 pounds. It is not known what she was wearing when she disappeared.
The National Presbyterian Church, of which Forbes is a member, released a statement overnight saying she disappeared in "mysterious circumstances from her home."
Forbes left her home without her two phones, laptop, wallet or car. Her dog was also left at home, and the door was unlocked.
"Her family is desperately seeking any information that could help bring her home safely," the church said.
What Police Have Said
In an email shared with Newsweek on Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police Department said, "We understand the sense of urgency surrounding this case," but "at this present time, we do not have any new details to release."
"This investigation remains a priority for our department, as all missing person cases are," the statement continued.
According to data from Statista, 600,000 people go missing in the U.S. each year. FBI data also shows that from 2020 through 2024, the percentage of violent crimes involving domestic relationships increased slightly from 25.6 percent in 2020 to 27.5 percent in 2024.
Forbes' Ex Arrested Over Probation Violation
In 2021, Russell Ashford, 65—Forbes' ex-boyfriend and the father of her 10-year-old son—was convicted of severely beating Forbes in their home. The incident left Forbes hospitalized.
Ashford served nine months behind bars after pleading guilty to first-degree assault.
According to a report in The Washington Post in early July, Ashford requested and was granted probation before judgement. A condition of that probation was no hostile contact with Forbes, or their son.
Later that month, Ashford attempted to contact their son while he was at a summer camp in D.C., and became agitated with a camp counselor who said he was not on the approved list, the Post reported.
The Post reported that Forbes was granted sole custody of her son in 2022, but in 2024 that agreement was modified to give Ashford unsupervised access. Ashford filed an emergency petition to gain temporary custody of their son, noting that Forbes was missing.
On Monday, Aileen Forbes, Forbes' older sister, filed an emergency petition for custody of her nephew.
He is now being held in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on an arrest warrant filed in Montgomery County.
Law enforcement has not named Ashford as a suspect in Forbes' disappearance.
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Forbes' Family 'Horrified' by Disappearance
A friend of the family has launched a GoFundMe campaign for Forbes. "Her family is facing immediate and unexpected expenses," the fundraiser's description said.
"Antoinette is a kind and talented mother, sister, daughter, colleague and friend to many throughout DC and beyond," it added. As of writing, the campaign has raised more than $19,000.
"We're in absolute shock and horror," Aileen Forbes, told CNN last week. "We have our own very close-knit immediate family, but we have a very large extended family. We're horrified."
Forbes' longtime friend Holly Wetzel told The Washington Post: "She is just a warm, lovely, caring person who would never walk out on her family, would never walk out on her son and would never walk out on her life. She had a lovely life."
Laila Khan, who worked with Forbes, told The Post “I couldn’t be where I am today without her guidance.”
Her friends have shared messages on social media appealing for support and information.
One friend of Forbes', Rachel Clark, wrote in a post on Facebook that Forbes is "brilliant, hilarious, feisty, fiercely loyal, and the kind of person who shows up for the people she loves."
"She is a devoted mother, sister, daughter, colleague and friend. And right now, we need help bringing her home," Clark said.
The National Presbyterian Church said "friends, coworkers, and community members gathered here in Stone Fellowship Hall" on Saturday night to hold a vigil for Forbes
What Happens Next
The case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department's Youth and Family Engagement Division.
Police are appealing to anyone with information and have asked people to contact the Real Time Crime Center at 202-727-9099.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly, Shakeema Edwards and Emma Lee-Sang
Update 09/16/26 05:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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