Authorities say there are few clues about why a Virginia woman vanished earlier this month, and her disappearance is considered suspicious.
Chesterfield County police say 41-year-old Leyla Namiranian was last seen leaving her job at about 6:30 p.m. on April 4. Investigators believe she returned home that night, but she didn’t show up to work the next day and has not been seen since. She hadn’t told coworkers that she was planning on going anywhere.
Elizabeth Caroon, a police spokeswoman, would not say whether investigators have uncovered evidence of foul play. But the department is “investigating this case as a suspicious missing person,” Caroon said.
Namiranian’s vehicle was found at her home, authorities said. Police say nothing at her home indicated she was planning on leaving, and there were no signs of a struggle at the residence.
The disappearance has stunned family and friends of Namiranian, the director of marketing and consumer research at Altria Client Services, a division of Altria Group, Inc.
“It’s very strange,” Roushanak Tabarestani, Namiranian’s former sister-in-law, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She described Namiranian as career-focused and serious.
Namiranian had recently met a man online and was planning to meet him in person, Babak Namiranian, her ex-husband who now lives in Seattle, told the newspaper.
Caroon declined to say whether police were focusing on anyone specific in their investigation into Namiranian’s disappearance.
Namiranian is described as white, about 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call police at 804-748-1251.
