Pregnant Woman Missing in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 2005 — -- A pregnant Philadelphia woman has been missing for more than a week, and police and her fearful relatives are looking for elusive clues.
LaToyia Figueroa, 24, is five months pregnant, and was last seen after a scheduled doctor's appointment on July 18. She reportedly took the day off from her waitressing job at T.G.I. Friday's for the appointment and to spend time with the father of her unborn child. Figueroa's family reported her missing when she did not return home, where she lives with her 7-year-old daughter and an uncle.
Friends and relatives say Figueroa would never just run away and leave her daughter and family behind. Police say her cell phone and credit card have not been used since her disappearance.
"It's unusual for her to do something like this," said Joseph Taylor, another uncle, in recent reports. "She's not the type of person to just disappear. So far, there's nothing that gives me hope from what I'm hearing."
Philadelphia police have said the father of Figueroa's unborn child has been cooperative with investigators and that they have no suspects in the case. The man -- whose name has not been released -- has said that he last saw her when she left his home, following her doctor's appointment.
The missing woman's father, Melvin Figueroa, told local TV reporters that LaToyia is very close to her daughter and would not have left for such a long period of time without speaking to her. He said she was attacked a week before the disappearance and that the suspect kicked her in the stomach. Figueroa said he fears his daughter's disappearance could be linked to the previous attack and that something worse has happened to his daughter.
LaToyia Figueroa was last seen in southwest Philadelphia. Friends and relatives have combed the streets and neighborhoods, held and rally and placed fliers to bring attention to their search and generate clues. LaToyia Figueroa is described as 5-foot-2 and weighing 130 pounds and she has two tattoos -- an angel on her right wrist and another bearing her daughter's name.
The Citizens Crime Commission of Delaware Valley has offered a $10,000 reward for information about Figueroa's disappearance.Anyone with information should call the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Division at (215) 686-3182 or the Citizens Crime Commission anonymous tip line at (215) 546-TIPS.
Additional reporting by ABC News affiliate WPVI in Philadelphia.
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