The Dock Ellis Foundation has taken a role in assisting in the search for a missing Weldon woman.

The foundation is the legacy of the late Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis and is a national missing persons organization dedicated to bringing minorities home. 

It has taken a role in the case of Jewel Sykes, who was reported missing by her family early last month.

“We are assisting Ms. Sykes’s family with the hope we can bring her home to her family, most importantly her children,” the foundation said. “We have activated our 24-hour hotline. At this time there have not been any sightings or tips. Based on interviews with the family this is not normal behavior.”

Across the nation 521,000 people were reported missing with 40 percent of those cases being missing persons of color. “And sadly, 38 percent of people who go missing in the United States are Black, which is double the nation’s Black population of about 14 percent.”

At the time of the release it had been 63 days with no answers on her disappearance. “We are calling on the community to speak up, contact our anonymous tip line at 888-222-6050 or your local police department.” 

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Laquita Taylor, who is Sykes’s sister, said, “As adults, it is not uncommon that your every move isn’t documented, but at this point it is clearly obvious that she is in an undisclosed location with the inability to communicate with anyone. With nearly universal access to WiFi, if given the option or opportunity, regardless of her location, she would have reached out to her family by now. So we know that Jewel is endangered.”

Taylor said her sister’s case is “extremely mysterious because it is rare for someone to basically vanish from an area where they’ve resided well over a decade. And the person or persons responsible know exactly where she is.”

Taylor said her sister has three children who need their mother. “In addition, her mother, sisters, other family members, and a vast community of friends are continually praying for her safe return. She is a valued member of a loving community that longs for her reappearance.”

Taylor described her sister as vibrant — a person who accentuates every room she enters. “She’s a community-oriented person who values time spent with family and friends. She has a comedic demeanor with an ambiguous social presence.”

Weldon police said at the time, Sykes was last seen on February 2 or 3 in the 200 block of East Sixth Street.

The police department reported then there had been no signs of foul play in her disappearance and that family have told officers she doesn’t suffer from any cognitive impairments.

Sykes stands approximately 5-feet, 7-inches tall and weighs approximately 190 pounds.

She has black hair and brown eyes. It is unknown what she was wearing around the time of her disappearance.

In addition to the foundation number, anyone with information on her whereabouts is encouraged to contact the police department at 252-536-3136, the non-emergency 252-583-1991 number or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.