Her phones, wallet, car and dog were left behind. Nearly a week later, a DC mother is still missing

A terrified family is pleading for help in finding a woman who has been missing for nearly a week after she disappeared from her Washington, DC, home without her phones, wallet, or car.

Antoinette Forbes, 53, a single mother of a young boy and a beloved sister, was last seen in person Friday, September 4, at the 3200 block of Nebraska Avenue, NW, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, which has released a missing-person poster seeking the public's help.

Police describe Forbes as an Asian woman, 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing about 115 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Her clothing at the time is unknown.

Her family and friends say the circumstances of her disappearance are deeply alarming: Forbes' two phones, wallet, laptop and car were all left behind at her home, along with her dog, Max. The front door was unlocked.

"We're in absolute shock and horror," Forbes' older sister, Aileen Forbes, told CNN on Thursday. "We have our own very close-knit immediate family, but we have a very large extended family. We're horrified."

The police department told CNN it was an active investigation and declined to share further details.

Aileen said she is holding onto hope and refuses to dwell on the worst-case scenarios.

"I am trying really hard not to even conceive of that," she said when asked about her worst fear. "Because it would mean that my family is destroyed," she added.

"I'm still trying very hard to keep the faith and the strong, harsh belief that I've had from the start that my sister is alive."

Elizabeth Northrup, a friend of Forbes with whom Aileen is staying as they search for her sister, told CNN they do not believe Forbes left her home voluntarily.

"(Law enforcement) certainly checked all the hospitals. We also have had friends check hospitals. She has not flown," Northrup said. "She did not walk out of that house and go voluntarily."

'Something happened'

Just days before she was reported missing, the two sisters had spoken on the phone as they routinely did on weekend mornings, Aileen said.

She FaceTimed her sister on Saturday morning. Aileen said she could see during the call that Antoinette was inside her home with her son. They talked about their weekend and the week ahead — an ordinary conversation between two sisters who were especially close, she told CNN.

They planned to talk again the next day, but Aileen said she never heard from her. As the days passed without contact, the family grew increasingly concerned. Aileen said she knew something was wrong when she reached out to her sister to tell her she had Covid-19, and did not receive a response.

"She's a very busy woman. She's got a full life," Aileen said. "Single mother, highly successful professional."

Forbes works for Eli Lilly, an American multinational pharmaceutical company. A company spokesperson told CNN they are supporting the police department in its efforts to locate her and encouraged anyone with information to contact police.

"We are deeply concerned for Antoinette and are thinking of her and her family in this uncertain time," the spokesperson said. "We hope for her safe return."

But above all, Aileen said, her sister is a mother of a 10-year-old boy.

"(He) is Antoinette's life," Aileen said. "Antoinette is a 100% solid, reliable, intelligent, competent woman who is a devoted mother. She would never leave her son. She wouldn't leave her dog. She wouldn't leave her sister who needs her."

So when days went by without a word, Aileen said she alerted family friends, Louis and Margarita, who live close to Forbes' home and have a key, to check on her on Labor Day Monday.

Margarita texted Aileen after entering the home.

"I think something happened," the message said, according to Aileen.

"My heart stopped after I read that text," Aileen said. Louis then called and described what they found.

Inside, according to her friends and family, Forbes' two phones — including her work phone — were there. So were her wallet and her laptop. Her car was in the driveway. Her dog, Max, was also at the house. But Forbes was gone.

Police say investigation is active

CNN asked police whether Forbes' home had surveillance cameras and whether investigators had reviewed footage from the home or canvassed neighbors for video.

Police declined to provide details, saying they could not comment because the investigation is active.

For Aileen, the waiting has become its own kind of torment.

"Today it's getting harder," she said. "We're getting later into the week, and some of the dark reality is hitting me."

But Forbes' friends and family are not ready to give up hope, and they are asking anyone who may have seen something — however small — to come forward.

"We need to know what happened," Aileen told CNN. "Someone had to have seen something, anything, some small thing, seen her. We need the evidence that's going to enable the police to do their jobs and bring Antoinette home."

The police department is asking anyone with information about Forbes' whereabouts to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.