nailah franklin

As the search continues for a Chicago woman who disappeared one week ago Tuesday, her family is offering a reward and building a Web site to help bring her home.

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Nailah Franklin, a 28-year-old pharmaceuticals sales rep, disappeared last Tuesday.

The family did a string of national TV interviews Tuesday, as well as offered a reward for Franklin's safe return. They have also started a Web site at bringnailahfranklinhome.com

Chicago police say they brought Franklin's ex-boyfriend in for questioning Monday night and sent him home following that interview. Police are not calling him a suspect.

A few days before she disappeared, Franklin filed a police report saying she had been receiving threatening phone calls from a man she used to date.

"Not knowing what happened to her is killing us but we have to be strong because when she needs that energy and when it is important to continue to be hopeful," said Lehia Franklin Acox, Sister.

For several days now, Nailah Franklin's friends and loved ones have been passing out flyers asking for help in finding her.

"We are turning over every rock we can internally to assist in the investigation," said Acox.

Monday, they distributed flyers to motorists on the city's South Side and her friends at her old job helped hand out flyers to pedestrians in the Loop.

"You feel anything you could do could make a difference. Handing out one flyer could make a difference," said Cindy Blikre, Leo Burnett.

This weekend, divers searched a pond at the River Oaks Golf Course after some of her personal belongings were found nearby.

Franklin's car was found in Hammond, Indiana. Detectives continue to search it for clues.

Nailah [Nigh-EE-luh] Franklin has been missing since Tuesday. Franklin's family fears the attractive 28-year-old pharmaceutical sales rep may have met with foul play. They may have reason to worry. Before she disappeared, Nailah Franklin allegedly received threats from a male acquaintance.

No one has seen Nailah since Sunday. Her boyfriend in Milwaukee received a text message from Nailah around 8:15 on Tuesday, Sept. 18. She said at the time that she was having dinner and would call him when she was done.

Nailah had a meeting scheduled for Wednesday the 19th. She didn't show, so her employer began calling Nailah's family. A relative then called police.

Nailah's sister Lehia Franklin Adcox said the following to Chicago's ABC 7: "I do believe she's in distress. She's not the kind of person who would just leave without a trace."

Dana McClellan, a good friend of Nailah's, also spoke to the ABC affiliate ― "It defies explanation. That sounds dramatic, but she's not the type of person who just leaves."

McClellan heard at least one of the threats left for her friend. CBS 2 in Chicago reported her statement about that chilling message: "Basically [the message said] 'I could do harm to you. You haven't seen that side, of me but I do have a bad side and I could do harm to you'."

Lehia Adcox also spoke to CBS 2. She said, "This is someone who just had everything to live for; she was at the top of her game professionally; she bought two condos on her own as a single woman; she dotes on her niece, my daughter; she's just a person who is very connected with the people she cares about [. . .] This is so out of character."

Nailah Franklin is 5′2″ and weighs about 115 lbs. Her vehicle is missing as well. It is a 2005 gray [NOTE: an e-mail from Nailah's sister to family and friends indicated the Impala might be black, rather than gray. The message was posted on a Facebook group dedicated to finding Nailah] Chevrolet Impala, license plate #1957855.

Nailah's MySpace page is locked, and it shows a login date of September 20. This could have been from investigators looking into her e-mail messages. However, there were at least 2 computers missing from Nailah's condo in the 1500 block of S. Sangamon.

A search engine cached Nailah's profile on or about September 7th, so it had only recently been made private. Some statements made on the page revealed sass and wit. About herself, Nailah wrote:

I would say I am extremely passionate with people and with anything I do. Very ambitious and hard working but definitely enjoy a good time! I "work to live" rather then "live to work". Traveling, spending quality time with family and friends are most important to me. My friends might call me a busy body, can never really sit still, always trying to figure out what I should be doing better with my life. Sort of a hopeless romantic, I tend to find the romance and beauty in people and the world around me. Everyone has a story, there's always a lesson to be learned, and I just try to remain open to receiving it. Happiness and laughing are contagious we should all spread it.

Nailah loved the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy, and she said on her profile that she watched Oprah every day. Her interests were in traveling, but she was also a bit of a "tech geek." From her 'General Interests': "I love gadgets (love my Treo 650)…they entertain me."
Hundreds of people stretched their arms out Sunday evening over the family of Nailah Franklin. Palms flat, they closed their eyes and prayed with the pastor of her South Side church.

"You have better than 20/20 vision," Rev. Otis Moss III, pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, said in prayer. "We come now asking you to dispatch your angels. Send them to bring our sister Nailah back home."

With no new developments in the case of the 28-year-old Chicago woman, who has been missing since Tuesday, Franklin's family turned for spiritual help from fellow worshipers as they held out hope that she would be found alive.



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"It really did my heart good that Nailah's name was being offered up for prayers," said Franklin's sister, Lehia Franklin Acox.

Police, who continue to investigate, said they had no new information to release Sunday.

Among the leads are threatening calls Franklin received in the last two weeks. The caller, whom police have not identified publicly, had orders of protection filed against him by another woman on Sept. 12 and 18, according to court records and a source.

Moss challenged those listening to the church service, which was attended by at least 800 and broadcast on the Internet and radio, not to go a single day without praying for Franklin and her family.

"We want to pray to the one whose eyes see from everlasting to everlasting," the pastor said. "Something happens when we pray together."

Parishioners of the 8,000-member congregation who do not know Franklin said they came to the service to pray for her and her family.

"I can't imagine what they're going through," said Paula Dixon.

Dixon, who attended a Saturday evening vigil held in Franklin's honor, called the woman's family members "the picture of grace."

Members of the church, 400 W. 95th St., handed out yellow ribbons and fliers with Franklin's smiling face and a description of the woman and her car.

Franklin's sister said friends and relatives have been asking churches across the area to spread the word about the search for clues and to offer prayers. "We need to keep this front and center," Acox said.

Standing in front of the church, Acox described the roller coaster of feelings she has been experiencing. "It's terrifying," she said. Sometimes, "I know for certain she's going to walk through the door. Other times the dark thoughts take over."

Franklin, an Eli Lilly and Co. pharmaceutical representative, has been missing since Tuesday, after spending the weekend with her boyfriend in Milwaukee and attending a wedding in Lake Geneva, Wis. Police have said the boyfriend, Andre Wright of Milwaukee, is not a suspect in the case.

Police found Franklin's vehicle near an abandoned building in Hammond Friday night, and divers Saturday searched a pond at the River Oaks Golf Course in Calumet City. Acox said personal items belonging to Franklin found near the pond prompted the search. Nothing else was uncovered.

"I don't personally believe Nailah put that car there," Acox said. "We have no relatives there. That's not her sales area."

So far, police have kept the family updated on the search for Franklin, her sister said.

Acox said locating the car gave her hope: "There's one piece, and the next piece is to find her."

The church maintained the uplifting mood. A chorus of about 200 danced and swayed as they belted out songs to the rhythm of drums and cymbals.

"We want to celebrate a reunion," Moss shouted. "We ask, Lord, that you would prefix this moment and put the 're' in the union."

After the service, the Franklin family stood in the center of the sanctuary, hugging dozens of well-wishers.

About 150 friends and relatives have aided in the search, said her uncle Dwayne Johnson.

"She's coming home," he said. "She's coming home."

She was a music-lover as well:

My favorite genres are jazz, R&;B (the good kind), neo soul,house music, hip hop and alternative. Favorite artist just to name a few are: Prince, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, George Michael,Common, Chaka Khan, Rachael Yamagata, Janet and Beyonce. What's on heavy rotation right now?? John Legend "Once Again"-my love story. Justin Timberlake "Future Sex Love Sounds"- makes me feel sexy. Kelis "Kelis Was Here" -makes me want to be bad. Miles Davis- "Kind of Blue", this is a classic do I need to say why?…

Nailah's hero? According to her MySpace profile, her grandmother: "… I don't think I know a stronger woman."

Nailah Franklin's sense of humor was apparent when she answered the standard MySpace profile question about who she would "like to meet":

The person that stole my brand new leather jacket out of my locker in 10th grade…just joking (but I do still wonder who that was:) Seriously anyone who can make me laugh and has something interesting to say.I am extremely opinionated so always enjoy a healthy debate. My sister Marina in like 3 years (or sooner)….she is about to make it big and I am so proud of her. My two neices in like two years..right now they are so cute. But I know in a few years I will really have fun wiht them:) Also Oprah, Janet and Hillary Clinton!!! I think all of these women are smart, sexy and admire them.

She was a popular young woman, with 175 friends as of Sept. 7 and nearly 200 comments from those friends.

In addition to her MySpace profile, Nailah also had a little-used Friendster account.

During her time as a student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Nailah apparently wrote some articles for the student paper, the Daily Illini. One of her articles, written in April of 1998, was about men against sexual assault. From the article:

While activism against sexual violence is often associated with women, some men are also taking responsibility for the issue.

In order to raise awareness about sexual assault, a male panel held a discussion this Wednesday in the Illini Union's Courtyard Cafe.

The purpose of the panel discussion was to raise awareness about sexual violence and encourage men to get involved in the fight against it.

Members of the Men's Activity Committee said why they think it is important for men to get involved.

"Many people think that sexual assault is a woman issue, but it is a people issue," said Ross Wantland, junior in LAS. "Both men and women have had their lives touched by sexual violence and men need to try to stop it as much as women do."

Wantland said one in four females is sexually assaulted by the age of 18, and one in six assaulters [sic] will be male.

The article didn't touch on the related issue of males who stalk women after the breakup of a relationship.