WA-Merseret Belay, 27, Camas

[hoppyfrog]

http://www.kptv.com/news/20734923/detail.html

4 Sept 09

Camas police are searching for a 27-year-old woman who was reported missing Friday.

Merseret Belay, who worked as a nanny in Camas, was last seen on Northwest 19th Circle at 11 p.m. on Thursday. She was reported missing by her employer at 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Belay, who is from Ethiopia, is in the United States on a temporary visa and was scheduled to leave with her employer for Europe on Friday.

In the past, she has frequented Pioneer Square in downtown Portland and Esther Short Park on 192nd Avenue in Vancouver. Belay does not have any family or friends in the area and police believe she left on her own.

She speaks very little English and uses the nickname "Matsy." Belay is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, 140 pounds with black hair. Her hair is typically pulled back in a bun. She has brown eyes and pierced ears and often wears a brown jacket (http://www.kptv.com/news/20734923/detail.html#).

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement.

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[hyldo]

Here's an interesting article that suggests she may have departed voluntarily to avoid returning to Ethiopia. According to this article, she wasn't a nanny in Camas, WA; she was a nanny for a family in Lebanon who was visiting relatives in Camas. The article mentions that she only had three weeks remaining on her contract and that in Lebanon it isn't unusual for nannys to simply "run away" rather than return to their native countries.

http://www.katu.com/news/local/57615662.html