Who Is Najah Ferrell? Details About The Missing Mother From Indiana
She's been missing for over two weeks.
Instagram A 30-year-old mother has been missing for more than two weeks, and police are scrambling for answers. Najah Ferrell was reported missing on Mar. 15: she was last seen by family members early that morning, in her Avon, Indiana home. After a fortnight of investigating, police and family members are looking for public support in finding Ferrell.
“My heart, I can’t even tell you,” Ferrell’s mother tearfully said. “I wouldn’t want any other mother to ever, ever have to deal with anything like this because I miss her … Bring her home.”
Ferrell is 5 feet, 4 inches tall. She weighs 180 pounds. She is African American, has black hair and brown eyes. Her disappearance is considered suspicious.
Anyone who may be able to provide information relevant to Najah Ferrell’s disappearance is urged to contact Hendricks County Communications Center at 317-839-8700 or Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS.
Who is Najah Ferrell? Below are details about the young mother and her strange disappearance.
1. She’s a mother of five children.
Ferrell, pictured above in her car, has been missing for two weeks.
Two of her children are her biological sons; three are foster children. Ferrell’s mother, Paula Gholson, spoke on their behalf at a news conference. “She should be here with her boys. They’ve never been without their mother.”
Avon Police Department Chief of Investigations Brian Nugent remarked how unusual her disappearance was in terms of her children—hence why the disappearance is considered suspicious.
"She would never have left her children," he told InsideEdition.com on April 1.
In a news conference, Nugent told reporters, “Anyone that leaves their family for an extended period of time, we would call that suspicious. For a mother to not know where her children are at, and for her children to not know where their mother is at, is not only heartbreaking, but it’s certainly suspicious.”
2. Her mother was the first to report her missing.
Ferrell is 5'4" and 180 pounds.
Azaria Joseph, Ferrell’s younger sister, told Dateline that Gholson was the first to make the report. She had contacted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department under the suspicion that something had happened to her at work on Mar. 15.
Gholson told reporters about the last time anyone in the family had seen her “She got up for work and told [her fiancé] to get the kids out, because she had to go in. He said that’s the last time he saw her.”
Ferrell left for work at 3 a.m. for a 5 a.m. shift for her new job at Panera. Later that day, she was supposed to pick up her foster children from school … but didn’t make it there.
"I knew then...I said something is wrong, 'cause that's not Najah," Gholson said.
Investigators discovered Ferrell never made it to work. THey found her black Nissan Altima about two miles from the Panera; her belongings were found along Interstate 465.
3. Police are convinced there’s more to the story.
Anyone with information about Ferrell is encouraged to call (317) 262-TIPS.
Nugent and his department have been working tirelessly on the missing-person case. “As a department, our investigators have been working around the clock since this has taken place,” he said. As of March 31, he and his department have interviewed more than 40 people, conducted 30 search warrants and have examined surveillance of 12 locations.
Despite all these efforts, police are still looking for answers. They urge anyone with any information to come forward, as they are convinced “somebody knows something.”
4. She’s one of an alarming number of black women missing across the United States.
According to Blacknews.com, there are thousands and thousands of missing person cases that receive little to no media attention for years. About 64,000 black women and girls were missing across the country. Despite being officially reported, these cases are often left out of the world of journalism. A 2010 study found that although black children correspond to 33 percent of overall missing children cases, only 20 percent of reported stories focused on missing black children.
The black community has made efforts in recent years with the rise of social media to draw attention to these cases left by the wayside. The hashtag #BlackGirlMissing has helped facilitate the return of missing black girls.
5. There’s a GoFundMe campaign to support her sons.
As of April 3, the GoFundMe has raised about $3,925 of its $5,000 goal. The campaign is filled with comments expressing hopes and prayers for the mother’s safe return.
Richard Jennings commented, “I’ve known Najah since elementary school and just hope she’s safe and brought back to her family soon. Just want to help and support whatever way I can. Prayers!”
The GoFundMe, however, is not geared towards search efforts for Ferrell. The campaign is called “Help Najah’s Boys Transition.” Gholson, the campaign’s organizer, says in its description, “Najah Ferrell has been missing since March 15, 2019. Her sons have been with her mother since she has been gone. We have received an overwhelming amount of support and many have asked what can they do? Right now we are accepting assistance for her two sons as we make this transition. Please contact me (Jaleesa Joseph) on Facebook if you would like to help a different way.”
Alison Cerri is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.