MORE DETAILS OF THE MISSING SOMALI GIRL:
Concern over missing Somali rises
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A sandal found near the Washington Avenue Bridge might belong to the woman.
Myron P. Medcalf, Star Tribune
Last update: May 12, 2006 – 5:40 PM
More than 100 members of the Somali community gathered Thursday at the Brian Coyle Community Center in Minneapolis to question city and police officials about their efforts to locate a 24-year-old woman who disappeared early Tuesday.
Lt. Jeff Storms of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said that a man called authorities about 3:15 a.m. Tuesday and said he saw a woman go over the guard rail of the Washington Avenue pedestrian bridge above the Mississippi River. The witness looked into the river but saw nothing.
University of Minnesota police found a sandal near the bridge that Sudi Bashir Abdi's family said might belong to her.
Her brother contacted police a few hours later when the family woke up and realized that she was missing.
Many at Thursday's meeting wondered aloud whether Abdi had been kidnapped or forced into the water, and asked Storms and Minneapolis police Capt. Rich Stanek if they were using every available resource to find her.
Storms said the Sheriff's Office is using the metro area's only sonar-enabled boat to search the river. He said that no foul play is suspected and that a recovery team has been searching the river from 7 a.m. until sundown daily.
He said the Sheriff's Office has expanded its efforts for this investigation, which "has a lot to do with the community" responding the way it has.
Stanek said that he would gather more facts about the case once he left the meeting but that until something leads police to believe that a crime led to Abdi's disappearance, it won't become a criminal investigation.
Abdi attends medical school at Hofstra University in New York. She returned to Minneapolis for a visit late Monday, her family said.
Omar Jamal, a community leader, facilitator and translator at the meeting, said the missing woman has been a role model. He said the best way to reach a resolution is for community members and police to work together.
Fartun Abdi, the missing woman's sister, said her sister would not take her own life. She had told Fartun Abdi that she was excited to come home and take care of their mother. She was stressed a bit about medical school, but had detailed plans to spend time with family members.
She said that it would not have been unusual for her sister to be near the river late at night, but that if she's in it, it's not by choice. "If she's in there, she's in there against her will," she said.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Sudi Bashir Abdi should contact the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office water patrol division at 952-471-1300.
Myron P. Medcalf • 612-673-4092
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/427719.html
DOES ANYONE LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS???
