Missing church secretary has friends, family worried in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Friends of a missing church secretary in Fayetteville are worried about her.
Meta Valentine, 43, didn't show up for a Bible study, and no one has heard from her for over a week.
Valentine's neighbor Edna Hester is worried.
"I keep my door locked because I don't really know what happened," said Hester.
Valentine's friends and church family don't believe that she just vanished.
Leonard Rowles said it's hard to believe no one has heard from her.
"You could pretty much set your watch by her coming to things church related," said Rowles.
Church members went looking for her when she missed Bible study. The first place they checked was her apartment.
"When we got there we knocked on the door. We tried looking through the window to see if we could see her...nothing," Rowles said.
Police later searched Valentine's apartment, but didn't find her or any clue as to what may have happened.
Hester said the night before Valentine disappeared, she heard her arguing with a man who stayed with Valentine.
"She would sit on the side porch with him," Hester said, "but recently after they had an argument, she would not allow him in her home. He was knocking. She would not answer the door. He went to the side door and knocked, then he went to the front door, and she would not let him in."
So far, police have not released any information on any possible suspect, person of interest, or motive for her disappearance.
"Right now, detectives are working around the clock, working every lead, chasing down every phone call," said Fayetteville Police Department Spokesman Officer Antione Kincade.
In the meantime, Valentine's friends and church family wait, hope, and pray for a miracle.
Anyone with information concerning Valentine's disappearance are asked to contact Detective M. Ballard with the Fayetteville Police Department at (910) 549-7326 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477).
