Missing D.C. Mom Left Phone, Wallet, Car and Dog Behind

By Jordan Reyes. Sep 19, 2026

Antoinette Forbes disappeared after a normal weekend conversation with her sister, leaving behind the things most people would take if they planned to go anywhere: her phones, wallet, keys, car and dog. Nearly two weeks later, her family and police were still searching for the 53-year-old Washington, D.C. mother.

D.C. police said Forbes was last seen on Sept. 4 in the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue NW. Her sister, Aileen Forbes, said they spoke by FaceTime the next morning, laughing and making holiday plans. Nothing about the conversation suggested that Antoinette was preparing to leave.

A friend later went to Forbes’ home when she stopped responding. The door was unlocked, according to family accounts reported by NBC4 and The Washington Post, and her phones, wallet, keys and purse were inside. Her car remained outside and her dog was also still at the house.

A Normal Conversation Was the Last Contact

Forbes had lived in the Washington area for more than 30 years and worked as a public-relations executive. Friends described her as deeply connected to her work and especially to her 10-year-old son.

Her sister told NBC4 that the two were usually in constant contact and involved in the details of each other’s lives. The ordinary nature of their final conversation has become one of the most difficult parts of the timeline: there was no warning, argument or stated plan to disappear in the reporting reviewed for this article.

Police classified Forbes as a critical missing person and asked the public for help. Her clothing at the time of her disappearance was unknown, adding another obstacle to efforts to trace her movements after she was last seen.

A vigil was later held as relatives, friends and colleagues continued pressing for information. Those close to Forbes have repeatedly said that leaving her son, dog and daily life without explanation would be out of character.

Her Former Partner Was Later Detained

The search took another turn when Russell Ashford, Forbes’ former boyfriend and the father of her son, was detained in Pennsylvania. Authorities said Ashford was arrested for an alleged probation violation connected to an earlier assault case involving Forbes.

Police and prosecutors have been careful to separate that arrest from the missing-person investigation. Ashford has not been charged in Forbes’ disappearance.

CBS Pittsburgh reported that law enforcement used license-plate-reader data to trace Ashford’s travel between Pennsylvania and the Washington area. Forbes’ son was with him when police stopped the vehicle and was found safe.

Fox 5 DC later reported on court audio from a previous proceeding in which Forbes and Ashford described aspects of their former relationship and co-parenting. The earlier case provides context for the probation issue, but it does not establish what happened to Forbes after Sept. 4.

Police Still Need the Missing Piece

The central mystery remains Forbes’ whereabouts. Investigators have not publicly announced evidence showing where she went after leaving her home, whether she left voluntarily or whether another person was involved.

That uncertainty is why the items left behind matter so much to her family. A wallet, phones, keys and a parked car do not prove what happened, but together they create a disappearance with very little ordinary explanation in the public record.

The dog left at the house adds another personal detail. Family members and friends have emphasized Forbes’ routine responsibilities and close relationship with her son as reasons they believe she would not simply walk away.

Police continue to ask anyone with information to contact investigators. The case remains an active missing-person search, and Ashford’s separate detention should not be treated as proof of involvement in Forbes’ disappearance.

For her family, the search has moved from an ordinary missed call into days of uncertainty. The most familiar things in Forbes’ life are still where she left them. The unanswered question is where she went.

References: Family Pleads for Help to Find Missing DC Mother | Father of Missing Washington, D.C., Woman’s Son Arrested in Beaver County | Court Audio Reveals Past Testimony From Missing DC Woman and Her Ex-Boyfriend