In addition to keeping you informed and occasionally amusing you, SM has often served in the past as an Amber Alert-type site for missing persons of South Asian descent. I know that lots of people go missing and that posting it here may not make a difference…but maybe it might. The San Jose Mercury news reports on a missing mom (thanks for the tip Zahir):
It was 5.2 miles from Dr. Zehra Attari’s west Oakland office to a meeting she wanted to attend in Alameda.
The 55-year-old San Jose pediatrician left her office about 5 p.m. Monday. It was dark and it was raining hard.
Somewhere between her clinic office at 2700 International Blvd. in Oakland and the meeting conference room at 1240 South Loop Road in Alameda, Attari disappeared.
Three days later, Attari is still missing — one of 5,500 missing person reports San Jose police receive each year. Most of those people make it back home. But this case has investigators worried…Attari’s family was able to confirm that she never signed in at the medical conference she had planned to attend. Her badge was still on the sign-in table.
“About 10 or 11 o’clock on Monday morning, she talked to my dad and said she was going to the meeting,” said her daughter, Dr. Ruby Attari Ali, who is a medical resident at the University of California-Davis.
Attari’s daughter in particular as asked for help in getting the word out. Anyone that has any information as to the whereabouts of Dr. Attari should get in touch with the authorities:
Attari was driving a 2000 gray Honda Accord with the California license plate 4MUH810. [Link]The family has offered a $10,000 reward for any information that could help locate Attari. Anyone who would like to help in the search is asked to call (408) 476-6723 or (510) 557-6695.
Thanks for posting it. It means a lot for those of us who are praying and helping the Attari family.
I am always impressed how SM consistently serves both as a source of great info (and entertainment)for the SA community but also as an invaluable resource for the SA community to come together. Its very inspiring.
Keep up the good work!
Zahir
I wonder how cases like this get counted in homicide statistics, and whether these statistics aren’t kept low by police departments on purpose. A troubling aspect of the Natalee Holloway case was how many other people came forward and said, “My sister [or other relative] disappeared two years ago and never got this kind of media attention.” Many of these are runaways, OK, but a certain number are likely to be something more unfortunate, and I wonder if they ever get counted as what they often are (homicides).
i hope they find her….
Thank you, Zahir, for beating me to this. I stopped by to hunt up the SM email address so I could send in this information as a tip, and was gratified to find this as the first post I saw.
For those of you affiliated with Bay Area organizations/listserves, could you please forward all this information to anyone you think could help in any way?
This link has a PDF file with the missing-person flyer for Dr. Attari. Her family and friends, as well as students from UC Berkeley, have been passing out these flyers in Oakland and across the Bay in an effort to obtain any information possible. If those of you who are in the Bay could print out flyers and help with distribution, too, that would be wonderful.
This is a beautiful family who deserves nothing but good. All of you, please, please pray (or send good vibes) for Dr. Attari’s safe and sound return.
I hope and pray for a happy ending to this. I observe a fast on Saturdays, hopefully I will spend that day thanking my god for a happy reunion.
There was a story in the Eastern Eye (UK) today about an Asian woman who’d disappeared with her 6-mo-old son for 2 weeks. She turned herself in at a police station, refusing to say where she’d been, only saying that she’d “needed a break.” Made me wonder how many people go voluntarily missing, you know? My friend got in a huge argument with his family last weekend over them saying his sister couldn’t go to Spain with her friends, that she should never travel without her husband and kids. He was like, you’re missing the point, she needs time AWAY from you! With teen Asian suicides triple the white rate in Britain (and double that as adults), and one “honour killing” a week, I inevitably pause for a second when I hear missing person reports, you know?
Damn. That’s disturbing — what are the contributing factors, especially to the high suicide rates?
Intergenerational culture-clash issues, mostly — excessive conservatism, excessively high expectations, and so on.
everyone’s a statistic: I see your point; I’ve thought of that as well. But it’s so hard to reconcile that angle with this particular woman.
Bay Area/NorCal folks: there will be a candlelight vigil this evening (Friday, Nov 11, 6pm) at Dr. Attari’s clinic at 2700 International Blvd. in Oakland. Please come if you can.
Sorry yasmine, I wasn’t meaning to apply those issue to this woman, it was more like it was reminding me of the articles I was reading on the tube this morning, so I was thinking out loud. 🙂
The reward for any information about Dr. Attari’s disappearance has been doubled to $20,000.
Tomorrow (Sunday the 13th) will be a community walk to distribute missing-person flyers in Oakland, starting at 11AM at Dr. Attari’s clinic at 2700 International Blvd. Please come if you can, to show the community support and unity for this cause. It is very important that the community turns up in large numbers, as the media coverage is directly proportional to the attendance at hand. At this point media coverage is very important to uncover any information about Dr. Attari, and we’re trying to spread the word beyond just the Bay Area.
COMMUNITY WALK:
Place : Dr Attari’s clinic (California Children’s Health Clinic @ 2700 International Blvd., Suite 11, Oakland, CA) Date : Sunday Nov 13th, 2005 Time : 11 am
Please forward all this information to any organizations/listserves you’re affiliated with, that you think could help in any way. Thanks much.
So, any updates?
Dr. Attari was a great pediatrician. My children were under her care for 5yrs. We are saddened by this news and we pray for her safe return. Christy in Oklahoma
I carpooled with her daughters in high school .. I really hope this ends soon and she’s found safe. Please keep us updated.
There has been no news of Dr. Attari. If you are close to the SF Bay Area, please come tomorrow evening to a community vigil in San Jose (5:30-7pm)
VIGIL FOR SAFE RETURN OF DR. ATTARI (Please help find her)
Fri, Nov 18th | 5:30pm-7pm | San Jose New City Hall Rotunda 200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95113
Please join the Attari family to show your support for safe return of Dr. Attari. We request that you join us with your family (including kids) & friends.
Vigil will be addressed by our community leaders including: SJ Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez SJ Police Chief Robert Davis City of Oakland Representatives Bay Area NAACP leaders Bay Area Hispanic Community leaders Hujjatul Islam Maulana Dr. Abidi & Imam Tahir Anwar Attari family, Ms. Annie Dandavati and others…
For parking use garage on San Fernando and Fourth St intersection (free after 6pm). There are open spaces nearby that are free.
For local map of City Hall with parking info please click: http://www.sjdowntownparking.com/parking_map.php?PHPSESSID=8fc6fb18207c4857680e3257b824ce 45
Are there any updates on Dr. Attari’s disappearance? Someone out there had to have seen something and I hope that they find it in their hearts to speak up because any lead is one step closer in finding her. We are still praying.
My concern and condolences for Dr. Attari and her family. From her on-line photos and articles, she appears to be a very courageous and strong individual and I believe that she will be found. Has any one closely considered (from what I read from the on-line articles) the issue of the child abuse case that she reported? Could she be held against her will while this particular case is settled in the courts? Has any one considered that an disgruntled parent may be holding her against her will (or a family member of the child in that case)? I have a strong feeling that she is safe, but this is only my hunch as I choose to believe for the best. If this avenue has not been investigated, perhaps another closer look at the case of child abuse that Dr. Attari reported may be the link. From the news articles, it appears that she did not have any time to get to where she was going. Has any one considered that she may have been accosted just outside the work place or that some one that she knew (but not terribly well) could have waited for her to explain their position in the child abuse case? How long ago did this occur? Could there be bitter feelings within that family? Robbery seems to be ruled out and my intution strongly suggests that may be personal and deliberate and the chances are, and , may be that she is being detained somehow, but that the investigation needs to travel deeper and quicker perhaps in that direction as well. I really hope that she is brought home to her family very soon. I am a daughter and I couldn’t begin to imagine how terrible this must be for her loved ones.
A concerned NBC/ABC Viewer in Daly City who cares.
Very sad but now the family can live in peace knowing their mother has been located.
R prayers 4 the family.
Today is April 4,2008 my mom is also missing but she i ssuicidal and no one can find her and i am young so i am really scared anyone hav any advice amd she also has only been missing for a while but still she could be dead if you have any help for me plz i will check this site everyday so i will see it!
Today is April 4,2008 my mom is also missing but she i suicidal and no one can find her and i am young so i am really scared anyone hav any advice amd she also has only been missing for a while but still she could be dead if you have any help for me plz i will check this site everyday so i will see it!
20 · nikki said
Perhaps find some activities that will take your mind off of this. I usually read, workout, or watch tv to get my mind off something really bad. Try doing those things.