Photo: Chicago Police Department
It's been three years since a 26-year-old pregnant Chicago postal worker disappeared in her own neighborhood, her mother is seeking answers.
Kierra Coles was last seen on October 2, 2018 on the South Side of Chicago. Her car parked outside of her apartment with her phone and packed lunch inside. Chicago Police labeled Coles' case "a high risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected."
Coles' mother, Karen Phillips, says not having answers about her daughter's disappearance or whether she's alive or dead is "torturous."
According to ABC News, Phillips says law enforcement has not given her any information in the past year.
"I could never reach nobody. They're gone to lunch, they'll call me back, they're out of the office. It's always something," Phillips told the outlet last week. "They don't even reach out and say, 'Well Ms. Phillips, we're still going through this' ... or, 'We don't have any new leads.' Just say something," she said.
Phillips said her daughter was excited about becoming a new mother at the time of her disappearance.
"I mis him –– he or she –– even though they wasn't born yet," Phillips said of Coles' unborn child. "I just miss him because she would've been a great mother," she said. "For her to be a mother, we were so excited. ... That was the last thing she was waiting for."
The US Postal Service has been coordinating with the FBI since 2018 to locate Coles. In a statement the Postal Inspectors say they've "tracked down and vetted nearly 400 leads across the country," and handed out "thousands of rewards flyers."
For Phillips, she says some days she "really can't function because my mind just, you know, keeps wondering –– where's my child? Is she being harmed? Is she dead or alive?"
"It's hard waking up every day wondering," Phillips said. "I just want somebody to come forward and say what happened."
The Postal Inspectors is encouraging anyone with any information "no matter how trivial it may seem" to "come forward as it may be crucial to our investigation."
"Please contact that US Postal Inspection Service hotline at (877) 876-2455 and reference case number 2693502.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.