WA WA - Nadia Erika Cole, 22, missing from SeaTac, 29 May 2024

[salander01]

This comes from my area and I didn't see a thread made yet. Sharing as a fellow WSU alum because cougs help cougs.

Nadia Cole Missing Seattle WA: Authorities Looking For 22-Year-Old Last Seen At SeaTac, WA​

"Beloved student, daughter, and fiancée Nadia Cole, 22, has been missing since Wednesday, May 29 near SeaTac airport. She left her phone and possessions behind when she was last spotted getting on the Link light rail from SeaTac."

Nadia was last seen leaving SeaTac Airport at 3:08 PM on May 29, 2024 (timestamp on security camera photo near rail platform shows 3:08:56 PM). Last seen wearing black North Face jacket, sage green hoodie, black yoga pants, tan shoulder bag, and white converse sneakers. Possibly wearing prescription glasses. From Port Angeles, WA and a recent graduate from Washington State University.

Family on social media say its highly unusual for Nadia to not be in contact with family and friends. SeaTac is a large international airport, the Link lightrail has 19 stations spanning about 23 miles from Northgate (8 mi from Seattle) to Angle Lake (15 mi from Seattle). Port Angeles is a city in Clallam county, the northwestern most region of Washington state. It is about 90-130 miles from SeaTac depending on if you're driving or taking public transportation. Assuming she was travelling to Port Angeles, getting there from SeaTac would either mean driving south through Tacoma and crossing the Narrows bridge and Hood Canal bridge. Taking the lightrail from SeaTac to get to Port Angeles however, would require taking a ferry at some point and likely needing multiple modes of public transportation or being picked up from a Link station.

 

[sunflowermomma]

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She appears to be recently engaged

Port Angeles is a trek from SeaTac - I wonder who was picking her up at the airport, or more likely the ferry terminal?

 

[sasha17]

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Port Angeles is a trek from SeaTac - I wonder who was picking her up at the airport, or more likely the ferry terminal?

WSU commencement was May 4. I know it says she's from Port Angeles, but I'm not clear on whether she was headed to Port Angeles or not. Did she stay in Pullman for a month after graduating and then fly from Pullman to SeaTac? Or was she at SeaTac heading out on a trip and instead left the airport and got on Link?

Link has cameras EVERYWHERE so they should be able to see where she got off the train, but it doesn't seem like that information has been released.

The fact that she took some possessions with and left others behind at the airport is baffling.

 

[salander01]

Did she stay in Pullman for a month after graduating and then fly from Pullman to SeaTac? Or was she at SeaTac heading out on a trip and instead left the airport and got on Link?

Link has cameras EVERYWHERE so they should be able to see where she got off the train, but it doesn't seem like that information has been released.

Great point. I'm leaning towards her flying into SeaTac as I think information would've been shared if she was leaving for a trip i.e. someone dropped her off or knew she was leaving town. AFAIK the article states cameras caught her getting on the Link from SeaTac station. The missing poster says security cameras capture her near the lightrail platform timestamped at 3:08:56 PM.
These discrepancies raise a few questions for me: What was the purpose of her trip (flying home from college or returning from another destination)? Where was she expected to be on May 29? Who was she in contact with that day and when was the last time of contact?

We have a description of what she was wearing so I'm assuming this is what was seen on security cameras. Its also unclear to me where her phone and possessions were left behind. On the lightrail? At the platform? Inside the airport? It says she had a tan shoulder bag, how big is it? I think it would be important to know if it was purse/handbag size or duffel bag/luggage size, having a bigger bag likely means she flew into SeaTac but having a small bag could possibly mean she was leaving from SeaTac.

It also hasn't necessarily been stated that she was even on a flight. Maybe she was meeting or picking up a friend/family member?

 

[sasha17]

Great point. I'm leaning towards her flying into SeaTac as I think information would've been shared if she was leaving for a trip i.e. someone dropped her off or knew she was leaving town. AFAIK the article states cameras caught her getting on the Link from SeaTac station. The missing poster says security cameras capture her near the lightrail platform timestamped at 3:08:56 PM.
These discrepancies raise a few questions for me: What was the purpose of her trip (flying home from college or returning from another destination)? Where was she expected to be on May 29? Who was she in contact with that day and when was the last time of contact?

We have a description of what she was wearing so I'm assuming this is what was seen on security cameras. Its also unclear to me where her phone and possessions were left behind. On the lightrail? At the platform? Inside the airport? It says she had a tan shoulder bag, how big is it? I think it would be important to know if it was purse/handbag size or duffel bag/luggage size, having a bigger bag likely means she flew into SeaTac but having a small bag could possibly mean she was leaving from SeaTac.

It also hasn't necessarily been stated that she was even on a flight. Maybe she was meeting or picking up a friend/family member?

I wouldn't think you'd be returning from a year away at college with only a shoulder bag. Surely she'd have much more luggage than that. Only having a shoulder bag says to me that she was either leaving for or returning from a very short trip, unless there was more luggage left somewhere (back at the airport?) but that hasn't been mentioned. Or, as you brought up, maybe she wasn't scheduled on any flight and was at the airport/Link station for some other reason.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Link requires tap on-tap off, so they should have a record of where she exited Link as well.

 

[sasha17]

Link requires tap on-tap off, so they should have a record of where she exited Link as well.

If you don't have an ORCA card and just buy individual tickets at the machine, there's no tap so it's also possible she did that.

 

[aggiekel2005]

I wouldn't think you'd be returning from a year away at college with only a shoulder bag. Surely she'd have much more luggage than that. Only having a shoulder bag says to me that she was either leaving for or returning from a very short trip, unless there was more luggage left somewhere (back at the airport?) but that hasn't been mentioned. Or, as you brought up, maybe she wasn't scheduled on any flight and was at the airport/Link station for some other reason.

It's possible that she is having her stuff moved via moving truck/movers or shipped back home too, especially if it includes furniture or other large items besides clothes.

 

[Lamima]

Maybe she was seeing someone off. Hope she didn't get an Uber somewhere and got in the wrong one.

 

[OrangeCash]

She left her phone and possessions behind when she was last spotted getting on the Link light rail from SeaTac.

I wonder if this is intentionally vague. It could mean Nadia purposely put them down and left them behind, it could mean she accidentally forgot them, or it could mean she had to leave quickly and had no choice but to leave them. Very different scenarios
MOO

 

[sunflowermomma]

If you don't have an ORCA card and just buy individual tickets at the machine, there's no tap so it's also possible she did that.

When you buy an individual ticket do you still have to select your exit station on the screen when you're buying the ticket? It used to be like this but they could've changed it.

 

[StarRemy8]

It seems rather odd to me that anyone would leave their phone and possessions behind in general let alone if you are a 22 year old and/or traveling/going to be gone more than a quick errand. We know she had a bag or purse on her when she was last seen so other than her phone, what possessions exactly did she leave behind, and where were they left? Did she leave them on purpose?

I also find the lack of news reports and SM posts concerning for a missing girl who has family, a fiance, and recently graduated from college but it doesn't look like there are really any posts from loved ones that I can see publicly at least and we are going on 6 days at this point. Hopefully, they can get the word out through SM and news outlets to receive tips on possible sightings or leads.

She's a very beautiful woman and 5'9 with long light blonde hair so you'd think she'd be rather easy to remember seeing even if just in passing and with the very detailed description of what she was wearing. However, I understand around an airport or on the Link rail there are so many people it might be harder but I myself just tend to notice and remember people more and a lot of it probably has to do with being in this group for so long.

For some reason I could not open the original news article at the top of the thread but when I search her name I do not see anything come up...has anyone seen any others that are out there?

 

[sasha17]

When you buy an individual ticket do you still have to select your exit station on the screen when you're buying the ticket? It used to be like this but they could've changed it.

I haven't bought an individual ticket since about January this year, so it may have changed in the last few months but at that time, I did not have to pick my exit station.

 

[salander01]

It could mean Nadia purposely put them down and left them behind, it could mean she accidentally forgot them, or it could mean she had to leave quickly and had no choice but to leave them.

The only scenario that makes me think she left her things intentionally would be if she trusted to leave them with someone else. I hadn’t even thought of this possibility considering the lack of details, but was she traveling alone?

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 4, 2024

Fiancé of missing Port Angeles woman now wanted by police for custodial interference

21-year-old Nadia Erika Cole was last seen leaving the airport just after 3 p.m. on May 29. Police believe she may be traveling with her fiancé and his daughter.

www.king5.com

[...]

Nadia Erika Cole, 21, was last seen leaving the airport just after 3 p.m. on May 29. The Fife Police Department said she "may have been seen" in the City of Fife recently.

[...]

According to a press release from her family's private investigator, Cole left her belongings at an airport gate to use the restroom but never returned. She was then seen leaving the airport with "a distressed expression." The last known sighting of her was outside the airport near the light rail platform north of the parking garage.

After recently graduating college with honors, Cole was also preparing to go on a family trip to Italy in the near future. In the press release, her family called the circumstances leading up to her disappearance "entirely out of character for her."

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

JUN 4, 2024

Pullman police Department search for missing 2-year-old

PULLMAN, Wash. — The Pullman Police Department is searching for a missing 2-year-old who could be with another person reported missing in Seattle in late May.

www.khq.com

The Pullman Police Department is searching for a missing 2-year-old.

Seraya Aung Harmon was last seen with her father, Aaron Aung of Moscow, on May 29. According to the PPD, the two were going on a fishing trip in Montana and have not returned.

[...]

Aaron Aung may be traveling with 21-year-old Nadia Cole, reported missing to the Port of Seattle Police Department on May 28, 2024.

[...]

Arrest warrant issued for father of missing Pullman toddler

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Police have issued an arrest warrant for Aaron Daniel Aung, the father of a toddler reported missing from Pullman.

www.kxly.com

The toddler was supposed to be returned to her mother in Pullman on June 3.

Police in Pullman and Moscow are working together on the search.

They believe Aaron Aung might be traveling with 21-year-old Nadia Cole, formally from Pullman. Cole was reported missing to the Seattle Police Department on May 28.

 

[PommyMommy]

RELATED THREAD:

WA - WA - Seraya Aung Harmon, 2, Pullman, 29 May 2024 *father and daughter went on a fishing trip in Montana but did not return*

https://www.kxly.com/news/police-searching-for-missing-pullman-toddler/article_e49705c2-22df-11ef-a9e8-bf989c515feb.html [...] 2-year-old Seraya Aung Harmon was last seen with her father, Aaron Aung of Moscow, Idaho, on May 29. According to police, the father and daughter went on a fishing...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Centaurus]

I keep coming back to the possibility that Nadia may not be a willing participant in all this. Perhaps Aaron contacted her when she was at the airport with some made up story to get her to leave. I cannot personally come up with a story that would cause me to ditch my parents and belongings at the airport but it's possible Aaron knew exactly what buttons to push to cause her to walk away. As many of us surely know, 21 year olds in general sometimes don't make the best, most logical decisions.

If Aaron was able to get her out of the airport and into the Cadillac, he could be holding Nadia just as much as he's holding Seraya. Nadia may not be willingly participating in any of this. I do hope they are all safe.

My concern, and I hope I'm wrong, is that something happened to the child and that's why he fled. Otherwise, does he really think he can scoop up his child and fiance and live out their lives in Mexico? Could he really be that obtuse?

 

[Bahshudc]

I keep coming back to the possibility that Nadia may not a willing participant in all this. Perhaps Aaron contacted her when she was at the airport with some made up story to get her to leave. I cannot personally come up with a story that would cause me to ditch my parents and belongings at the airport but it's possible Aaron knew exactly what buttons to push to cause her to walk away. As many of us surely know, 21 years olds in general sometimes don't make the best, most logical decisions.

If Aaron was able to get her out of the airport and into the Cadillac, he could be holding Nadia just as much as he's holding Seraya. Nadia may not be willingly participating in any of this. I do hope they are all safe.

I see what you mean, but everyone and every family is different.

Maybe she didn’t get along with her mom, so didn’t feel guilty about it. Maybe she thought her mom wouldn’t be that worried about her. Maybe she assumed it would be fine because the family would have been going to Italy with mom? Has this been confirmed or was it just NC? Maybe she viewed herself as an independent adult with her new fiancée and self righteously left under the guise of “maturity” and “responsibility” for the child.

What I’m trying to say is if she did go willingly, there was most likely something that stopped her feeling super guilty for her mom. If she felt AWFUL about it, she would’ve stayed. And in the scenario where AA could’ve forced her to leave the airport, I just find it so hard to believe that a young woman would rather leave her entire family out of fear, meet AA on the road somewhere and go with him. That’s obviously not the best course of action in this emergency and I just really think she would’ve told her mom if this was the case.

I personally think she LEFT willingly, but there is a huge chance she has since regretted this decision but cannot leave. After all, if she walks away now she has no option other than to come home and explain herself. I don’t think he would let that happen.

 

[wnk]

I keep coming back to the possibility that Nadia may not be a willing participant in all this. Perhaps Aaron contacted her when she was at the airport with some made up story to get her to leave. I cannot personally come up with a story that would cause me to ditch my parents and belongings at the airport but it's possible Aaron knew exactly what buttons to push to cause her to walk away. As many of us surely know, 21 years olds in general sometimes don't make the best, most logical decisions.

If Aaron was able to get her out of the airport and into the Cadillac, he could be holding Nadia just as much as he's holding Seraya. Nadia may not be willingly participating in any of this. I do hope they are all safe.

I have had this concern as well. The timing of NC's disappearance does not make sense if the couple was intending to disappear. If this was a preplanned collaboration, they'd want their departure to go unnoticed for as long as possible to give themselves a head start. Leaving when she did gave them the absolute least amount of time possible before their disappearance would be noticed and become a major concern (minutes, rather than the hours head start they'd get if she'd snuck away from home the night before), which makes me think that:

A) there was some other catalyst that NC was not expecting -- a message or Snapchat that would not only be dire and immediate emergency but would require her to keep her departure a secret from her parents
-or-
B ) NC was coerced into a situation she knew was bad and wanted people to be looking for her immediately.

ETA: I do wish we knew when AA picked up SAH on that day, because that's quite a drive from Pullman to Seattle, and that could also play into why NC left when she did.