Washington, DC police have issued a critical missing person alert for 58-year-old Mashelia Williams Howard. Howard was last seen in Northwest DC on May 15.
The case also emerged amid continuing national attention surrounding the disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, whose family recently expressed frustration over the lack of new leads nearly 100 days after she disappeared.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31, 2026.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie update: Sheriff warns there could be a ‘problem’ as probe continues
DC police seek help from the public to locate Masheila Williams Howard
According to the Metropolitan Police Department alert on X, Howard was last seen in the 4600 block of Wisconsin Avenue Northwest. The department’s X alert included Howard’s photograph and physical description and urged residents throughout the DC area to remain vigilant.
Citizen App also circulated the alert, describing Howard’s disappearance timeline and last known location in Northwest Washington.
Authorities described her as a Black woman standing 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing approximately 130 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes.
Police said she was last seen wearing a white jacket, white shirt and light gray pants.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Metropolitan Police Department at (202) 727-9099 or text tips to 50411.
Read more: Nancy Guthrie update: Shocking ‘somewhere around her home’ claim sparks reactions
Another missing adult amid the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie
The search for Nancy Guthrie has now entered its fourth month. In an attempt to piece together what happened in the early hours of February 1, investigators are working carefully, sorting through tips, data, and evidence.
In the most recent update, authorities have sent a strand of hair to the FBI testing labs as DNA evidence. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has told People magazine that authorities might be “getting closer to finding out” the person linked to the DNA.
However, Nanos has also expressed doubts about Guthrie’s case turning cold. He said, “When the labs tell us, ‘Hey, there’s nothing else we can do,’ well, then maybe we’ve got a problem… we’ve got a cold case… but right now, the labs aren’t telling us that.”
