Fairfax County, Virginia, police are offering a $20,000 reward for anyone with information in the disappearance of a woman who went missing in Lorton earlier this month.
Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during a news conference Tuesday that foul play is suspected in the disappearance of Emily Lu, 72, of Lorton.
Homicide detectives are now involved in the case, said Maj. Ed O’Carroll, bureau commander of major crimes and cyber and forensics bureaus with the Fairfax police department.
O’Carroll said detectives have canvassed the area for any sign of Lu and will continue to do so.
Lu didn’t show up for work on Friday, June 4. Her boss called police and asked officers to check on her, and they went to her home on Davis Lane at about 2:30 p.m., the police said in a statement Monday.
They found her car, with some groceries inside it, but she wasn’t there. Lu’s neighbors hadn’t seen her; her family told the police about an address in Belle Haven she frequents, but she wasn’t there either.
Detectives found evidence that Lu “may have been harmed” inside her home, the police said. They’re treating her disappearance as suspicious.
Lu’s daughter Jenny spoke during Tuesday’s news conference and described her mom as a caring, longtime member of the community.
“We are extremely worried about her,” Jenny said. “We want to tell her that we love her in person.”
Lu was last seen at the Aldi in Gordon Plaza, in Woodbridge, at about 8 p.m. the night before the police went looking for her, the police said. They’ve posted a video:
NBC Washington reporter Shomari Stone spoke with some of Lu’s neighbors.
Kevin Mullins lived next to Lu for more than 25 years and said she “has always been very happy.”
The police are asking anyone with more information to call them at 703-246-7800, option 6. You can also submit a tip anonymously by calling Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), by texting “FCCS” plus your tip to 847411, or online.
