NY college student missing more than a month after taking bus to Washington, DC for art gig
WASHINGTON - A college student from New York City rode a bus to Washington, D.C. on May 1 and, aside from a mysterious phone call for help, hasn't been heard from since.
Now, more than a month later, her family is desperate to find her.
TiJae Baker, 23, an artist and art student, had gone down to D.C. to make posters for a woman she had met online, her family said, WABC-TV in New York City reported.
Tijae Baker, 23, has been missing for more than a month after she left her home in New York City for Washington, D.C. (NYPD)
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She was supposed to arrive at Union Station in the nation's capital but never contacted her mother, who she lives with, or any other members of her family.
"My baby is out there, and traumatized and scared," her mother, Toquanna Baker, told WCBS-TV in New York.
Her mother said her daughter usually calls and texts every day whether she's at home or not.
Her grandmother, Roxanne Baker, said on June 1 TiJae had pleaded in a whispered phone call from a Maryland nail salon for "her mother to come get her – now."
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Toquanna Baker also said the family received surveillance video of the salon that purportedly showed the college student pacing inside the business.
But by the time the family was able to get there, she had disappeared again.
Her family held a rally on Monday to raise awareness about her disappearance.
"We want someone to look at these cameras and get to the bottom of where she went," New York City Councilmember Darlene Mealy said during the rally.
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Toquanna said she filed a police report on May 2 but believes her disappearance isn't being prioritized. The family has since filed additional reports and her mother is placing missing posters in New York and Washington, D.C.
Aside from the salon video, she was last seen at Union Station, according to WNBC-TV.
Toquanna Baker told WABC she's afraid her daughter is a victim of human trafficking.
"I haven't slept at all," she told the station. "It's been over a month. I just want my child to return."
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"After this rally, I'm going back out there. I'm going to find my daughter," Toquanna Baker said.