Enitan Olayemi, 47, left work three hours early on Tuesday, but never made it home, her family says.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The family of 47-year-old Enitan Olayemi said a person who saw the WFAA story on her disappearance Friday knew where she was and called the family to tell them.
Her daughter, Mariam, said Olayemi is safe and was at a shop only about 15 minutes from their home in Arlington. They were able to reconnect late Friday night.
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Further details about what happened were not immediately available.
The family of a 47-year-old Arlington cleaner is asking for the public’s help locating her after she left work early last Tuesday and never returned home, according to Arlington police and the woman’s family.
Enitan Olayemi was reported missing after her family went to the business where she recently took a job as a cleaner in the 1100 block of Avenue H East when she failed to return home at her normal time on Tuesday, July 21.
Officers responded to take the missing person report at around 11:45 p.m. that night, according to Arlington police. Co-workers told the family and officers that surveillance footage showed Olayemi leaving work early, around 6:00 p.m., roughly three hours before her shift was scheduled to end.
Police said Olayemi was last seen wearing a brown headpiece, a gray T-shirt and black pants. She may be driving a tan 2010 Toyota RAV4. Police said she is not believed to be a danger to herself or others, and her information has been entered into a missing person database so that any law enforcement agency that comes into contact with her will know she was reported missing out of Arlington.
Olayemi’s family said they have traced her car’s movements using surveillance footage. A police camera captured the RAV4 heading west just two minutes after it left her workplace. “We have been able to trace her car driving to this area,” said her husband, Tajudeen Olayemi.
Since then, the family has gone door to door in that area asking residents whether they’ve seen Olayemi or have camera footage that could offer another clue. “It’s between life and death, the weather is hot right now we don’t know her condition. We can’t find her,” TJ Olayemi said.
The family said Olayemi’s phone has remained off since Tuesday and her car has not been located. TJ Olayemi said the couple’s work authorization was renewed for another five years just last year. They said they haven’t been able to find any indication that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may have detained her. “It’s strange, I believe something is wrong,” he said. “So I’m confused.”
The couple’s daughter, Maraim Olayemi, described her mother as her best friend and said the family has been unable to rest since she disappeared. “I’ve not been able to sleep, again, this is my best friend we’re talking about,” she said.
Maraim Olayemi said her mother is known for helping others — earlier this month she cooked five trays of rice and a large amount of chicken, and along with her family handed out about 100 plates of food and 100 care packages in Fort Worth. “She just loves to help people,” her daughter said.
“Since that Tuesday, it’s been a long time, I just I don’t know what’s going on,” Maraim Olayemi said. “I just, I just want my mom home.”
Arlington police ask anyone with information about Olayemi’s location to call Investigator Brown at (817) 459-5316.