UPDATE: Cappie Pondexter was found at approximately 7 p.m. ET. She is currently with family and friends and is expected to make statement in the near future.
ORIGINAL: Friends and family of former WNBA All-Star Cappie Pondexter are concerned for her safety after she was released from jail in Los Angeles on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Pondexter was arrested for battery. At the time of her arrest, Pondexter refused to provide ID and was booked as a "Jane Doe." In the days leading up to her arrest, The Athletic's Lyndsey D'Arcangelo reports that she had not made contact with friends or members of her family. As a result, a missing persons report was filed on her behalf. After referencing arrest records with the missing persons report, she was no longer declared missing.
“She’s actually not missing any longer. She’s been released from jail a couple hours ago. She was arrested for battery from a private person arrest,” the Los Angeles Police Department told The Chicago-Sun Times.
Pondexter was released on Thursday morning, but has not been located since. Friends and family have becoming increasingly concerned about Pondexter's health and safety.
"We are sharing this out of concern for our fellow WNBPA sister, Cappie Pondexter. If you have any information, please contact authorities. Please help us spread the word and ensure that she is safe," the WNBA Players Association tweeted.
Details regarding her most recent arrest are still unknown. Prior to her most recent arrest, Pondexter was arrested for public intoxication in November. She has also openly discussed her struggles with mental health as it relates to the pandemic and the end of her career.
"It’s a really sensitive time, I lost somebody from COVID, and to see the effect it has on the family, it’s like crazy to me, and I don’t know, I just want to make sure everybody’s good at the end of the day," she said during an interview on Soul Talk: Tapping Into the Zone.
“That was a lot of pain for me but going through the system and understanding the business of it, I knew it was time for me to walk away,” she said when asked about being waived from the Los Angeles Sparks in 2018.
“But I was OK with that... you have to be able to move forward. And I think I’ve been really honing in on having patience with myself as I’m transitioning, having patience with other people as I’m transitioning because it’s really easy to get caught up on social media.”
In college, Pondexter played four seasons under Hall of Fame coach Vivian Stringer. While there, she won two Big East titles and appeared in the Elite Eight. As a professional, Pondexter played 13 seasons in the WNBA with the New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky. She also won two WNBA Championships and was named an All-Star in 2009.
At the moment, Pondexter is still missing. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department and Pondexter's family and friends are working together to locate her.
Photo: Getty Images