Missing Student Found after Days of Searching

Five days had passed since Howard University freshman Arianna Carr, 17, had been seen on campus. After arriving back to the Harriet Tubman Quadrangle on Jan. 7, Carr's parents were unable to contact her and filed a missing person's report in her hometown of Oakland, Calif.

The Oakland Police Department, along with the Howard University Department of Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department rapidly searched for answers as to the whereabouts of Carr and who she could have possibly come into contact with prior to her disappearance.

Students on campus were also seeking answers as this incident occurred only one year after the disappearance of former student Ty Smith, who too went missing and was located in Las Vegas, NV six days after the filing of a missing person's report on his behalf. However, many students were afraid that this could be a case of abduction or kidnap and felt their own safety could be at risk.

"It's frightening that someone so close could disappear," Sasha Campbell, a freshman television production major, said. "It really could have been anyone."

According to a University statement, the Prince George's County Police Department located Carr on Sunday Jan 15. She was reportedly unharmed. However, the incident has made students reevaluate the rate at which they call home.

"Many students are overwhelmed by their newfound independence," Daniel Martin, a sophomore political science major, said. "Keeping in touch is so much more important than most people think."

"We don't know why this happened," said freshman chemical engineering major Ikenna Ikeotuonye. "However it did make it clear that we should regularly call our families."

Family and friends of Carr, along with the help of the Howard University community, utilized Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness about her disappearance. A Facebook page entitled "Help Find Arianna Carr - Missing from Howard University, Washington DC" was created to list updates.

Marissa Wooten, freshman biology major and floor mate of Arianna Carr says they spoke from time to time and everything seemed normal. "A few days before she went missing I spoke with her. Everything was normal and she said she was glad to be back at Howard", said Wooten. "Since the incident, we've had a floor meeting and it has been stressed how important it is to let someone know where you are at all times", she said.

While no one was completely aware of the students' whereabouts, many speculate that her cellular device had been misplaced making it difficult for her to communicate with her family.