Esube Wondwossen Missing: What We Know About Howard Senior

UPDATE (Saturday, Sept. 19): Esube Wondwossen has been found safe. Arlington County police said she was “located safely and is in good health,” according to FOX 5 DC. Police did not say where they found her and will release no further information Saturday.

Esube Wondwossen, a 22-year-old Howard University senior who goes by Izzy, has been missing since Tuesday, September 15. Prince George’s County police are searching for her. Her family is searching too. Four days in, nobody has a confirmed answer.

Now the family wants the whole DMV looking.

What We Know About Esube Wondwossen’s Disappearance

Wondwossen lives in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Her father dropped her at the Branch Avenue Metro Station around 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to FOX 5 DC. He believed she was headed to campus like any other morning. She never made it to Howard.

Branch Avenue anchors the south end of the Green Line, which runs straight through the Shaw–Howard University station. That is the normal commute. Instead, Wondwossen turned up at the Pentagon Metro Station in Arlington, Virginia, just before 8 a.m., police say. The Black and Missing Foundation pins the time at 7:57 a.m. Pentagon sits across the Potomac River, a long way from campus.

Since then, the picture has grown only slightly. Reports say she stepped off a Metro bus around 8:25 a.m. Her sister told WUSA9 the stop was North Beauregard and Reading Avenue in Alexandria. However, the family did not learn she had reached Pentagon until Thursday, three days after she disappeared. Outlets also differ on small details, so treat the times as approximate. WJLA, for example, cited the Howard University Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association and listed Pentagon City as her last known stop.

Police confirm they know about the case and are investigating. Meanwhile, the Hyattsville-based Black and Missing Foundation has joined the push for awareness. According to ARLnow, the foundation’s page on her case lists her as potentially in danger.

Family Wants More Urgency in the Search

Her sister, Helina Wondwossen, told NBC4 Washington she is hoping for a “sense of urgency” from everyone involved. The family says the disappearance is completely out of character. Izzy seemed relaxed Tuesday morning. She told her dad she would see him later and wished him a good day. Meanwhile, Helina says her sister was excited to graduate.

Her mother, Aida Endrias, made a troubling discovery. Location tracking on Izzy’s phone appeared to be off. Endrias told FOX 5 that she is holding onto hope her daughter is alive. “She wouldn’t do this,” Helina said. Above all, Helina says she just wants to know her sister is safe.

A family friend, Imran Sherefa, asked people across Northwest D.C. to stay alert. He told WUSA9 that a trip toward Howard seems unlikely, but it is possible. Because nobody knows where she went next, the family is casting a wide net.

How to Identify Esube Wondwossen

Police describe Wondwossen as 5 feet 1 inch tall and roughly 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has a mole above her left eyebrow and multiple piercings in her left ear. On Tuesday, she wore a black zip-up hoodie, black leggings, Crocs and a headband. She carried a tan Michael Kors tote bag.

Think about the timeline for a second. Pentagon at 7:57 a.m. A bus around 8:25. Alexandria after that. Each confirmed sighting shrinks the map, which helps explain why the family is asking businesses to check their surveillance cameras.

Why the Howard Community Is Paying Attention

Wondwossen is a senior. Her sister says she has been looking forward to graduating. That detail lands hard on any HBCU campus, where senior year carries real weight. Students, alumni and family groups also tend to mobilize fast when one of their own goes missing, and a single shared post can reach people a press release never will.

Accuracy matters, though. Repost the verified details and the police contact line. Skip the guesses. Rumors can bury real leads, so the family needs clean information moving through the DMV. Right now, that means her description, the timeline above and the tip number below.

Prince George’s County police remain the point of contact for tips. Reports from local outlets agree on the basics even where small details differ. She is 22, she left Pentagon Metro on the morning of September 15, and nobody has confirmed where she went next.

How You Can Help Find Izzy

Anyone with information should call the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at 301-772-8970. Email works too: police_missingperson@co.pg.md.us. Howard’s own missing student policy also tells community members to report concerns to campus public safety at 202-806-1100 or to local police.

Did you ride the Pentagon Metro or that Alexandria bus route Tuesday morning? Check your photos and videos, then call police if anything looks relevant. Even a stray background shot could matter, because investigators are still piecing together where she went.

The Black and Missing Foundation wants supporters to share her case with the hashtag #HelpUsFindEsubeWondwossen. Family members also handed out flyers near Pentagon on Friday, ARLnow reported, and asked nearby businesses to check their cameras. In addition, the Howard University Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association shared her last known location with local media, which helped the story spread.

Police have not announced any update on her status as of Saturday. Still, the search for Esube Wondwossen continues, and the family keeps hoping. Stay with Howard University coverage and other Howard campus stories on HBCU Buzz, because we will update this story when police release new information.