It has been 5 years since the mysterious disappearance of a 26-year-old pregnant Chicago woman named Kierra Coles. As the anniversary of her vanishing approaches, Coles' family continues to search for answers. And the family’s frustration with the handling of the case by law enforcement is apparent.

Kierra was three months pregnant when she vanished without a trace on October 2, 2018. There have been no significant updates in her case, with the Chicago police designating it as a cold case.

Karen Phillips, Kierra’s grieving mother is convinced that her daughter's case has not been accorded the attention it deserves. And believes that may be due to the color of her skin.

 In an emotional statement, she expressed her candid belief, saying, "Keeping it real, if my daughter was white, they would have maybe found either her or found out what happened." She lamented that the efforts of the police have fallen short. And claims, "They just didn't do enough. OK, they did the search, they pulled the cameras around in the area and then that was it."

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While the Chicago police have said that Coles' case remains an open investigation, they did not offer an immediate response to Phillips' assertions regarding racial bias.

Their official statement reiterated their commitment to the search, proclaiming, "We are seeking any-and-all information in an attempt to locate her, and we won't stop until we do."

Pregnant Chicago woman disappearance

Kierra Coles' mother recounted the last conversation she had with her daughter on the day she went missing. Coles had been shopping for baby items. And was eagerly anticipating the joys of motherhood.

“She always was trying to help somebody or give advice,” Phillips said. “Whether you wanted it or not, she was going to give it to you … We were so excited and couldn't wait to see her become a mother because she wanted to tell everybody else how to be a mother and she wasn't a mother yet.”

"Two days later, on October 4, the Coles family filed a missing person's report for Kierra," detailed Homicide Detective Lt. Will Svilar in a police video produced last year to draw attention to the case. "While attempting to locate her, officers forced entry into Kierra's apartment but she was nowhere to be found."

The investigative efforts initially centered on security footage that pieced together the hours leading up to her disappearance. One crucial video segment captured Coles carrying groceries into her apartment building.

Person of Interest

Shortly thereafter, a man arrived, and together they left in a car, with Coles behind the wheel. Minutes later, the duo made a stop at Walgreens, where security cameras recorded Coles withdrawing a substantial sum of money from an ATM. The timing of this transaction, around 11 p.m., struck her mother as peculiar.

"Less than an hour later, the vehicle is seen arriving and parking in another area of the city," explained Lt. Svilar in the video. "The person of interest exits the passenger side of the vehicle but nobody exits the driver's side."

The man has been identified by Coles’ family as her boyfriend and the father of her baby, Josh. He dated the missing woman for 6 years. And moved to another state shortly after her disappearance.

The following day, the man was spotted parking Coles' car near her apartment complex, entering the building alone, and departing with certain items, according to the police account. He subsequently left the area in his own vehicle.

Despite being considered a person of interest in the case, the authorities have opted not to release his name, citing department policy. Police spokesperson Kellie Bartoli clarified that names of persons of interest are typically withheld until formal charges are filed.

Karen Phillips remains steadfast in her conviction that the person of interest holds vital information that could potentially unravel the mystery surrounding her daughter's disappearance. "He knows something about her disappearance," she asserted. "He knows something."

The family continues the search

In their tireless quest for answers, family members of Kierra Coles, a postal worker by profession, have actively distributed posters in their relentless search for the missing woman. They recently marked what would have been her 31st birthday on September 24, vowing never to relinquish their pursuit of the truth.

Notably, the child Kierra Coles was carrying when she vanished was her first, and she held the distinction of being the last of Karen Phillips' five children to embark on the journey of motherhood. It makes it even harder to contemplate that the pregnant Chicago woman may never come home.

"Every year I hope I don't have to come stand up here and announce that my child is still not home yet," Phillips told reporters.