'That's a piece of my heart that's out there': Parents searching for missing 23-year-old woman
ATALTNA - The parents of a missing woman are desperately searching for their daughter in Atlanta and DeKalb County.
Shawanda Solomon and her husband, who live in Michigan, have not spoken to their 23-year-old daughter since December 4.
Malana Thomas was staying with her sister in Cherokee County but left earlier this month.
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Solomon said she filed a missing person's report the week of December 6.
"I'm worried. I'm not sleeping. I just don't want something to happen to her out on these streets or something may have already happened to her," Solomon said.
Thomas is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Solomon said her mental health has been declining.
She said it's unusual for her daughter to go this long without contacting them. She also said they realized someone else had Thomas's phone.
"We started getting messages trying to extort us out of money from her phone. I was like that's odd. We were getting messages around the clock," Solomon said.
On Saturday, the owner of a restaurant on Memorial Drive said she saw Thomas and noticed she may be in need of help.
She managed to get Solomon's number and let her know her daughter had been at her store.
The couple said they rushed to the restaurant, but their daughter was no longer there.
"She's an angel," said Solomon. "She didn't have to reach out to me. She didn't have to talk to us because I'm pretty sure she sees people like that all the time, and we need people like that to look out for one another."
Solomon said there have been no sightings of her daughter since then.
The couple wants to find her before her mental health declines even more.
"Until I can find her, I will be here. I cannot leave here until I find her and get her to treatment," she said.
Thomas is about 5-feet-2-inches tall and weighs about 100 pounds or less.
She has short black hair and brown eyes.
Solomon said she has a tattoo of an uncolored rose on her right forearm and the phrase "until the pieces fit."
Please call DeKalb County or Atlanta Police if you see her.
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