Fire Captain Dave Hall said Nicole Mittendorff, a firefighter in Virginia, called in sick to work on April 13 before disappearing, the same day her family last heard from her. Mittendorff last contacted her family by text message on April 13.
“The next day, there was no phone call made,” Hall said in a press conference uploaded to the Fairfax firefighter’s Facebook page.
Mittendorff’s car, a cream with a black top 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman with Virginia plates (WLT-1843), was found in the Shenandoah National Park by a U.S. park ranger in the parking area of the Whiteoak Canyon Trail on April 17.
About 100 searchers combed the area. A spokesperson from the park said the search area is about 10 square miles of the 300-square-mile park. About 4.5 of the 5 trials have been closed off for the search.
Mittendorff, 31, was said to be a high-achiever and was well-liked by her colleagues. Fairfax Firefighters Chief Richard Bowers said Mittendorff always put others first.
“Nicole if you can hear us, reach out to us, give us a call,” Captain Hall said to NBC4. “Your home is still here. We’re waiting for you.”
