Family of missing Irvine woman, 19, desperate to hear from her more than 1 week after disappearance

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- The family of a young woman who went missing on Dec. 20 is worried about her safety more than a week after her they last saw her.

Vanessa Alkurd's mother, Mayelli Alkurd, said her then-18-year-old daughter took the trash out on Dec. 20 and never returned.

"We love her and that we need to know if she's OK," Alkurd said in a message to her daughter.

Vanessa Alkurd said that although stress from school weighed heavily on Vanessa, she has a meaningful life here with four younger siblings looking up to her.

"She volunteers at a Sunday school. She loves her siblings. This is very unlike her," Alkurd said. "I mean, she crochets and she loves doing little markets and selling her plushies and making children happy."

Vanessa's passport, some cash and clothes were gone.

One note the family said the young woman left behind was concerning. It spoke of dreams where harm may come to the family if Vanessa stayed.

"It showed signs of mental health -- that she needs help," Alkurd said.

In a second message, Vanessa wrote to her younger sister, Levien Alkurd, promising she'd return.

"I want my big sister back. She mostly helps me with everything," Levien said in tears.

Mayelli Alkurd said an anonymous tip led them to take a trip to Roseville, just outside Sacramento, last week.

Some told the family Vanessa was spotted at the Tarbiya House mosque on Dec. 24, then again on the Dec. 30.

An employee there told Eyewitness News they gave Vanessa some financial help. Detectives with the Irvine Police Department said there were working to confirm that information.

Vanessa's grandmother, Eldemira Ponce, sent an on-camera message to her granddaughter in Spanish, telling her she loves her and begging Vanessa to communicate with her family so they know she is OK.

"If there's any way we can help, to please reach out. Let us know that she's OK. We want her back," Mayelli Alkurd said. "We want her to come home. Even if she doesn't come home, we can set something remote if she's afraid for us. We can set something remote, but we love her. She needs to know we love her."

Vanessa turned 19 years old on Dec. 28. Anyone with any information about her whereabouts is asked to contact Irvine police at (949) 724-7000.