Cops hunt woman last seen Sunday

Nailah Franklin, 28, a pharmaceutical representative for Eli Lilly & Co., was last heard from about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday when she sent a text message to her boyfriend, who lives in Milwaukee, saying she was at dinner and would call him when she was finished, Harrison Area Sgt. Virginia Zic said. 

She had spoken with friends by cell phone earlier that day, but Zic said the last time police know of anyone seeing her was on Sunday. Franklin sold pharmaceutical products to doctors in the Chicago area by traveling to their offices in her company-owned gray 2005 Chevrolet Impala with Illinois license plate 1957855, according to Zic. 

Franklin, who lives in a condominium in the 1500 block of South Sangamon Street, filed a police report last week about telephone threats she had received, but she had not asked for any type of protection, Zic said. Friends also reported to police that two computers were missing from Franklin's condominium. 

Franklin is African-American and described as about 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, according to an alert sent by the police.

Her sister contacted police after Franklin failed to show up for an important work meeting and her employer began calling family members, Zic said. 

Dana McClellan, a friend of Franklin's, said it is unusual for her to be out of touch for a long period. 

"It needs to be taken seriously. We think that she's in danger," said McClellan. She said Franklin grew up in the south suburbs and attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School. 

Neither Zic nor McClellan could say where Franklin was last seen in the car, who she may have been with at dinner, or where the restaurant was located. 

Police have interviewed Franklin's boyfriend, who said she had visited him over the weekend.