Family members are asking for the public’s help in finding an 18-year-old college student in Chicago who went missing just before Christmas.
Shalyha Ahmad, a student at University of Illinois Chicago, was reported missing Dec. 16 from the 5600 block of West Newport, according to police.
Ahmad was last seen Dec. 14 on campus at the Student Center East, according to her family and missing person fliers.
Ahmad’s parents said they dropped her off on Dec. 14 at a Blue Line station as the teen headed to school.
“We were supposed to meet at around 6:30 p.m. because we told her we were going to pick her up from school and we went there, she was not there,” said her mother, Shetti Fatima Ahmad. “She didn’t arrive at the meeting place, that’s when we really got worried.”
Her parents then contacted university police who told them to call the Chicago Police Department, the family said.
Her mother said one friend reported that she saw Ahmad on campus the day the young liberal arts major went missing, so the family believes she made it to school before she disappeared.
“This is unusual. This is the first time. She has not done this before,” Shetti Fatima Ahmad said.
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The parents admit they were urging their daughter to pursue nursing school, though she is currently studying liberal arts instead.
Family members have yet been unable to reach Ahmad via phone or social media. They said they checked her belongings but nothing seemed missing.
“It is difficult. Very, very difficult,” Shetti Fatima Ahmad said.
Shalyha Ahmad is described as an Asian female, standing 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds with long, straight, black hair and dark brown eyes. She was last wearing a multi-colored jacket, jeans, a red beanie, and black and white shoes, according to a missing persons flier. She was also seen carrying a red and black duffle bag.
Anyone with information on Shalyha Admad’s whereabouts is being asked to call (773) 474-2437 or Chicago police at (312) 744-8266.
