Najah Ferrell was 30 and last seen at her Avon, Indiana home on March 15, 2019, as she prepared to leave for an early-morning orientation at Panera Bread. Security footage showed her car leaving the apartment complex at about 3:00 a.m. Her failure to pick up her two sons and three foster children that afternoon prompted family to report her missing. Her fiancé said he received a text from her that morning.

On March 26, 2019, Najah’s black 2018 Nissan Altima was found abandoned in an Indianapolis shopping center parking lot. surveillance footage captured an unidentified man parking the car about 5:05 a.m. that morning and then getting into another vehicle. Some of her personal items, including her ID and bank cards, were later found discarded along Interstate 465.

On April 8, 2019, fishermen in Crown Point recovered a severed human foot from a retention pond — over 100 miles from Avon. The foot was initially identified by a distinctive tattoo and DNA testing later confirmed it belonged to Najah. The coroner determined the foot had been severed after death; no other remains were recovered. Authorities classified the case as a death investigation and continue to seek information. If anyone knew Najah’s movements that morning or saw the man on the surveillance footage, please come forward with tips.