OLDSMAR, Fla. (WFLA) – A Tampa family is asking for the public’s help to locate a missing mother who vanished Thursday in Oldsmar.
“We love her very much and it’s very hard to be without her,” Anu Awasthi’s oldest son Varun told News Channel 8.
Anu Awasthi has not been seen since her husband dropped her off for a hair appointment Thursday morning.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said there is an open and active investigation since deputies responded to the Walmart on Tampa Road near Forest Lakes Boulevard in reference to a missing person report.
Family, friends, and volunteers gathered for a vigil Sunday evening near that Walmart to pass out missing person fliers and spread the word about Anu’s disappearance.
“I’m getting goosebumps thinking about all the people here that are rallying around this family,” said Laurie Tomlinson, who lives across the street from the Awasthi family. “As soon as we heard we were just all ready and willing to help however we could.”
Tomlinson has helped organize search efforts since Anu vanished.
“Terribly frightened for her,” she said, “because like you said, it’s brutally hot out here and if she’s been out in the elements you know it’s quite dangerous.”
Vikas and Anu Awasthi have been married for 27 years.
“She means everything to me,” Vikas said. “She’s home. She’s family.”
Vikas said his wife has been dealing with depression since returning from India earlier this summer after her father passed away.
“Losing a parent is really hard,” he said. “She really loved her dad. They were very close.”
On Thursday morning, Vikas said he dropped his wife off for a hair appointment, but she never made it into the salon chair at the Oldsmar Walmart.
When he returned to pick her up, she was missing. He checked with security at Walmart and the nearby CVS and found out she was caught on camera at both locations.
The last sighting was at 10:12 a.m.
“She reaches Tampa Road, the main road there, and she disappears from view on camera,” Vikas said.
After calling 911, Vikas notified his two sons in the New York City area.
“I tried to track my mom on my phone because I have ‘Find My iPhone’, but unfortunately she left her phone at home, so we couldn’t find out where she was,” Anu’s youngest son Rohan said.
By Friday morning, both of her sons had flown back to Tampa.
The family and neighbors organized searches in the area she was last seen, shared a missing person poster with local businesses, and spread the word on social media.
“We’re very worried about our mom,” Varun said. “She’s not in the best mental health. We really miss her. We hope she’s OK and we just want to do everything we can to find her.”
Vikas said he has been checking his wife’s credit card, but there have been no hits since Thursday.
The family is sharing updates on the search on the “Help us find Anu Awasthi” Facebook page.
If you saw Anu Awasthi in the area by the Oldsmar Walmart Thursday morning or have information to help bring her home, call 911 or the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office at 727-582-6200.
