PETERSBURG, Va. -- Worry and pain have consumed Brenda Blackwell for the last three months. The Petersburg mother said the weight of not knowing where her child is only gets heavier.
"It hurts, my heart hurts and I don’t know what to do," Blackwell said. "I feel like I can’t be happy, even if I’m watching something and laugh, I’ll say, 'Oh no. Where is my child.?"
Her daughter, 52-year-old Sherrell Brown was reported missing on September 1, 2023.
Brown hasn’t been seen by her loved ones since.
"In the beginning, I couldn’t eat, I lost about 15 pounds, I couldn't sleep," said Blackwell. "We miss her, she has two grandchildren that are hurting too."
Brown was last seen at her home on Hanover Street in Petersburg.
"We had spent the earlier part of the day together, I came back at 7 p.m. to check on her and then they said she walked off the porch late at night," Blackwell said.
Blackwell spoke about her missing daughter at a press conference Friday outside of Brown's home.
The Women in NAACP committee of the Petersburg Chapter prompted the public plea for information.
"Unfortunately, too often, families are left just now knowing and that’s torture, very hard not knowing," chapter president Pat Alli-Hines said.
Hines said they intended to bring awareness to the issue of missing Women of Color from the City of Petersburg.
"Black and brown women, they don't get the same attention as other races, they don't get the same resources," Hines said. "We want to raise the awareness of the community; we want their compassion level to increase."
With Brown's family and friends worried sick about her, they pleaded with anyone who might have seen anything that night to come forward and help bring Sherrell home for the holidays.
"She’s a diabetic, she suffers from seizures, so I mean three months is a long time," Hines said. "We believe somebody saw something, we believe somebody knows something and we would like to bring Sherrell home for Christmas."
Brown's mother said she's praying for a miracle and has even purchased Christmas presents for her daughter, hoping she'll be home soon.
A designated reward fund was established with Petersburg Police for those who provide credible information.
You can donate to that fund or give information through the Petersburg Police non-emergency number, 804-732-4222.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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