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A search is underway for Mariame Sylla, a 53-year-old beloved teacher from Maryland, who vanished after going on an evening walk in a local park. Sylla, a mother of five who has been missing for ten days, was last seen on July 29 near her home in Greenbelt, which is about 15 miles northeast of Washington, D.C.
Mariame Sylla, who teaches second graders at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in Greenbelt, reportedly went for a daily 30- to 45-minute walk at a nearby park on July 29 before she vanished without a trace.
Authorities have issued a plea for help to locate the missing Maryland woman, who was described as a Black female approximately 5 feet, 5 inches in height and 135 pounds.
Community rallies around missing Maryland woman Mariame Sylla in wake of her disappearance
In the wake of Mariame Sylla’s disappearance, the Greenbelt community came together at a vigil over the weekend, hoping and praying for the beloved teacher’s safe return.
A friend of Sylla’s told Fox News that the circumstances surrounding her disappearance were bizarre as the 53-year-old vanished without a trace during her walk. Concerns were raised after the missing woman’s belongings, including medications, were found at home.
Sylla, who was considered a vibrant fixture in the neighborhood, is beloved in the community. Police expressed gratitude over the outpour of support from community members and said:
“We have conducted a number of interviews with her friends and family. We’ve conducted searches of the area, we’ve interviewed other witnesses that frequent that particular area,” Bowers said. “Not returning was very much out of the ordinary. She was a person of habit. And so this was part of her normal habit. And she broke that habit when she didn’t return. That’s really what’s got us concerned.”
Authorities said that, as of now, they do not consider foul play and are investigating the incident as a missing person’s case.
Mariame Sylla went missing just 55 miles away from where Rachel Morin vanished
The incident comes amid another missing Maryland resident Rachel Morin being found dead on Sunday, August 6, after she went for a run at a nearby trail. Morin was reported missing by her boyfriend on Saturday, August 5, after she failed to return from her run from the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland. The trail is reportedly located 55 miles away from where Sylla vanished.
On Sunday afternoon, police found the 37-year-old mother of five dead along a forest trail in Bel Air. The Harford County Sheriff's Office confirmed that they have opened a homicide investigation into Rachel Morin’s case.
While police did not disclose the manner of death, they said that evidence found near the scene has led them to believe that foul play was involved in the case. In a Facebook post, Harford County Sheriff's Office said:
“At approximately 1:07 pm, a female was located deceased off of the Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air. The identity of the victim, as well as the cause, and manner of death, are still under investigation.”
Meanwhile, police have asked anyone with information on Mariame Sylla's whereabouts to contact Detective Davis at (240) 542-2134, [email protected], or the Greenbelt Police Department at (301) 474-7200.
