For over two years, the family of missing postal worker, Kierra Coles, 26, have been racked with worry over the disappearance of the missing mother—especially Karen Phillips, Kierra’s own mother. To further exacerbate the uncertainty, Kierra was about three months pregnant when she went missing in a case that has been described by Chicago police as “a high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected.” The most crucial clue in the case was a surveillance video that was believed to be the last confirmed sighting of Kierra Coles just before she vanished, but new information has come to light that could change the entire context of this case.
The surveillance video that was believed to be the last confirmed sighting of Kierra Coles was dated October 3, 2018 at 11:45 AM. At the time, many believed it to be Kierra, walking down the street wearing her postal worker’s uniform. Following her disappearance, Kierra’s keys and lunch were found on the front seat of her car, which was parked in front of the building where she lived. More than two years later, new information about the case has finally been made public. The neighbor handed over the surveillance video to investigators and Karen Phillips, Kierra’s mother, who was immediately concerned that something was not right about the video. “It’s a mother thing. You just know your child. That’s not her walk. She was a little bit smaller and a little bit shorter.” Phillips informed investigators about her feelings regarding the video, telling them that the woman in the video was not her daughter. Investigators took her concerns seriously, but in order to preserve the investigation, Phillips was asked not to tell anyone that she suspected the woman in the video was not her daughter.
In another twist, Phillips told NBC 5 that there are two more videos depicting her daughter from the night of October 2nd. One video from another neighbor shows Kierra leaving her apartment building with her boyfriend, Josh Simmons, who also works at the post office. They got into separate cars and drove off. That video was also turned over to the police. Another video from ATM surveillance camera showed Kierra withdrawing $400 from her account and giving it to Josh.
Chicago Police have refused to confirm any of the details regarding the additional surveillance videos, or Phillips’ assertion that the woman in the original video isn’t her daughter, Kierra Coles. They only confirmed to NBC 5 that they had a concrete timeline of Kierra’s movements on October 2nd before she went missing. The official statement from CPD states “The Coles case remains a high-risk missing person investigation with potential foul play suspected. At this point, anyone with knowledge of her of her last known whereabouts is asked to contact the Chicago Police Department, as we are seeking any and all information in an attempt to locate her and we won’t stop until we do.”