VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Family, friends and police continued searching Friday – on land and on the water – for 39-year-old Bellamy Gamboa.
Police say the missing mother of four is likely in danger after her car was found abandoned four miles from her home.
The Virginia State Police issued a Critically Missing Adult (Ashanti) Alert for Gamboa on Thursday.
On Friday, her family offered an undisclosed cash reward and issued a plea for her return.
“She just didn’t run away. That’s not like Bellamy,” said Emmanuel Gamboa, her father. “She loves her kids so much and we want her back. We want her back now.”
Gamboa was last seen on Sunday night at her apartment on Carrene Drive at the Diamond Springs Apartments. The complex is near the intersection of Diamond Springs Road and Shore Drive.
Police say she left her apartment between 8:30 and 10 p.m. She did not show up to work on Monday and a missing person report was filed.
“She always contacts me and my brother and she’s always texting and calling all the time,” said Cianna Gamboa-Gilliam, her 16-year-old daughter. “So when she didn’t call or text it was a little weird.”
Police say they found her 2015 gold four-door Ford Focus on Tuesday abandoned next to a dumpster in a small parking lot on Pickering Street in Lake Edward. The location is about four miles from her apartment.
“My level of worry is 100,” said Natasha Fitzgerald, a friend of 18 years. “She’s not posting anything, her phone is going straight to voicemail, no texts back, no replies, no kind of social media, nothing.”
Police said Gamboa’s disappearance is suspicious because loved ones say it’s out character for her to be away from her twin infants and to not show up for work.
Lamont Johnson, who lives with Gamboa and is the father of her twin infants, says she left the apartment on Sunday after the two got into an argument. Johnson declined an on-camera interview, but he says he doesn’t know where she went.
“This is unlike her,” said Johnson. “I am concerned.”
A group of people organized an independent search on Wednesday night before police got involved. Fitzgerald says a volunteer K-9 tracked Gamboa’s scent to a body of water near her apartment. Police have not confirmed the positive hit.
On Thursday, the community canvased the Lake Edward neighborhood looking for any clues. Many passed out fliers with her picture on it.
Police also walked around the area and used drones to search from above.
On Friday, police spent three hours searching Lake Edward but nothing turned up, according to Virginia Beach EMS.
“I want her to know that we love her and we’re going to look for her until the very end until we find her,’ said Emmanuel Gamboa.
Gamboa is 5’1″, 135 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. She has a band of roses tattoo on her upper right arm and “Bellamy” on her right ankle.
If you see Gamboa or her know anything of her whereabouts, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887).
