Friends and family of missing flight attendant Sierra Shields have reached out to the public for help in finding the woman who disappeared from her workplace earlier this month.
Shields has Harding connections, and Rochester Church of Christ members are aiding in the search for the missing flight attedant.
“It’s unbelievable,” senior Xavier Miller, who grew up with Shields in Matteson, Illinois, said. “She’s so goofy and the jokester of the family. I don’t think she would have run away.”
Thirty-year-old Sierra Shields was last seen on Jan. 14 at the LaGuardia Airport after meeting with her supervisor and quitting her job, according to NBCNews.com. It is unclear why she quit, but her personal belongings (including her phone, wallet and keys) were left in her apartment in Queens, New York.
Since Shields’ disappearance, friends and family have worked to find her. Within a few days they had covered the city with yellow flyers that included a picture of Shields’ face and information, according to NBCNews.com. They also turned to social media for help by setting up the Facebook page “Find Sierra Shields” and using #findSierraNYC. The page, which currently has over 9,000 likes, posts new information about the search for Shields every day.
One post reads, “Please help find this beautiful young lady! She is a precious, bubbly and happy person. She lives her life by God’s caring word and is such an amazing, helpful and caring daughter, sister and friend. All of us who know her love her very much.”
Shields’ disappearance has also greatly impacted the student body of Rochester College in Rochester Hills, Michigan, of which she is an alumna and current graduate student of ministry, according to Newsone.com.
On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Rochester College held a special chapel service in honor of Shields, according to senior Hannah Brackney of Rochester College. They have also helped raise awareness about Shields on social media by posting a video of the Rochester College A Capella Chorus singing a song in dedication to her.
At 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22, a “Vigil of Hope” was held in honor of Shields. Across the country friends and family gathered together and lit candles while they prayed for Shields’ safe return. Participants were encouraged to post pictures of themselves with their candles on social media using #VigilofHope. Larger gatherings took place at Shields’ current congregation in Astoria, New York, her home congregation in Illinois and at Rochester College.
Brackney said that the Vigil of Hope was a last effort from the family to find Shields, because they know that after a week the public will lose interest in her story.
“Everyone on campus has been really sad and praying for the family,” Brackney said. “I wouldn’t say it’s been a good thing for our campus, but it’s definitely been a powerful thing.”
According to Rochester Church of Christ officials, the church has also been financially supporting the Shields family. A fundraising account has been created for the Shields family on Crowdrise.com called “Friends of Sierra Shields.”
Shields’ missing person report states that she is 5 feet 7 inches, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. It is believed that she was last seen wearing a blue dress uniform. If you know anything about her whereabouts, please contact the NYPD at (800) 577-TIPS.
“Share any post you see because that makes people aware, and we want more people aware of (the cirumstances),” Miller said.
