A 24-year-old suburban woman is missing after authorities and relatives say she traveled to Chicago with her boyfriend, but only he came home.
Alyssa Smith was reported missing to Palatine police by a family member on Sept. 30.
Smith’s mother, Rebecca Smith, told NBC Chicago her daughter went to Chicago with her boyfriend, but she only learned her daughter was missing after her boyfriend returned without her, bringing back some of her belongings.
“We want her home. We want to know that she is alive and safe,” Rebecca Smith said. “That’s all we’re asking is the public’s help to bring Alyssa home.”
Police have been following up on possible sightings of Smith in the days following her disappearance.
Authorities said Chicago police made contact with Alyssa Smith and her boyfriend around 3 p.m. on Sept. 28 in the 4000 block of West Monroe Street.
“During that contact, Smith declined to provide her name to responding officers and did not accept police services, leaving the area on foot,” an update from Palatine Police read Friday. She was identified in body camera footage, then seen the next day on surveillance cameras around 11 p.m. near Garfield Park on Chicago’s West Side.
Police released images of the sighting in hopes of finding Smith.
According to authorities, Smith’s boyfriend last saw her during the early-morning hours on Sept. 30. in the 400 block of South Kostner Avenue. The boyfriend told police Smith “entered a dark colored Honda” with two other people and he didn’t see her since.
In an update provided to NBC Chicago, Palatine Deputy Chief David Brandwein said detectives continue to actively investigate and follow up on information the department receives.
“Palatine Police detectives are working with the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department to follow up on information received. Palatine detectives have also conducted searches in areas associated with reported sightings,” the department said in its update Friday.
Other sightings have been reported on Oct. 3 near Grant Park and near Cicero Avenue and Roosevelt Road in Chicago, but police said those reports have not been confirmed, authorities said.
“The unconfirmed sightings of Smith have typically occurred between the hours of 1 p.m. to midnight, in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago, notably the area of Cicero Street & 5th Avenue,” police said.
Rebecca Smith said her daughter had been staying at a recovery house before leaving with her boyfriend. Alyssa Smith’s aunt, who lives in Palatine, filed the missing-person report, her mother said.
Alyssa Smith’s cellphone was broken, leaving her without a phone of her own to contact family, according to her mother.
Among the belongings returned were a baby blanket and a cherished rabbit she regularly carried, her mother said.
Rebecca Smith described her daughter as a “free spirit” with “a big heart,” who enjoys art and makeup.
As the search continues, she is urging people with information to contact police directly rather than only sharing possible sightings on social media.
“If you see something, say something,” she said. “Don’t just be sending it in on social media. Call the police department.”
Police described Alyssa Smith as approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 135 to 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has multiple piercings and numerous tattoos, including a Pennywise clown tattoo on her left shoulder. She was believed to have last been wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light khaki-colored pants or sweatpants and white Adidas shoes.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call Palatine police detectives at (847) 359-9000. Anyone who sees Alyssa or knows her immediate location should contact local law enforcement or call 911.
“We love you. We miss you,” Rebecca Smith said. “Everything will be okay.”
