She Failed To Arrive At Work In 2018 And Vanished From Her Home, With Her Car Still Parked Outside Her Condo

Cook County Sheriff's Office - pictured above is Tracie
Cook County Sheriff's Office - pictured above is Tracie

In 2018, Tracie Bell was 54-years-old and living in Richton Park, Illinois. There, she resided in a condo on Pleasant Drive and worked as a secretary for the Cook County State Attorney’s Office – which was located at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on California Avenue and 26 Street in Chicago.

Tracie was the mother of an adult daughter and was diagnosed with two conditions – diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Both of which required her to receive weekly injections.

According to Tracie’s cousin, Ladonna Iverson, she was also a very dependable employee.

“It’s totally out of character for her not to report to work or even call,” Ladonna said.

So, when Tracie failed to arrive at work on March 5, 2018, and never called the Attorney’s Office to alert them of her absence, her coworkers were concerned and contacted the police to conduct a welfare check.

Authorities performed the welfare check on March 6, 2018. Upon arriving at Tracie’s condo in Richton Park, they discovered she was at home. And while she wasn’t injured, she appeared disoriented.

“When they found her, she seemed a little bit disoriented, so they called the paramedics, and they checked her blood sugar because she was recently diagnosed as a diabetic,” Ladonna recalled.

Tracie was reportedly cooperative during the welfare check and appeared “to be in the right frame of mind” when paramedics left her home.

Yet, two days later, on March 7, 2018, Tracie failed to show up for work again. Then, when authorities arrived to conduct another welfare check, she was nowhere to be found.

Cook County Sheriff’s Office – pictured above is Tracie

Tracie was never seen or heard from again and has now been missing for over six years.

Her vehicle was discovered still parked outside of her condo, and according to investigators with the Richton Park Police Department, it seemed as though she’d just “walked away.”

However, while Tracie vanished with her cell phone, authorities found no activity on either her phone record or bank account ever since she disappeared.

Ladonna doesn’t think her cousin would have left on her own volition. But Richton Park Police Chief Evlia Williams stated that authorities haven’t found any evidence of foul play.

So, the search for Tracie continues, and her loved ones are still trying to hold onto hope despite the lack of answers.

“We don’t want to feel or think negatively. We are hoping for the best, but because of the elapsed amount of time… we are concerned that maybe foul play could be a possibility,” Ladonna said.

Tracie is five foot eight and has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing dark pants and a dark hooded parka.

If you have any information regarding her disappearance, you are urged to contact the Richton Park Police Department at (708) 481-8956.

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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