Person Of Interest Sought In Woman's Disappearance

RALEIGH, N.C. — Raleigh police are seeking a person of interest who might hold clues to the whereabouts of a Wendell woman who disappeared early Tuesday morning.

Cynthia Moreland, 48, was last seen at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when she dropped her husband off at WakeMed for work, police said. Her abandoned car was located Wednesday morning in southeast Raleigh.

"She got out of the car and came around, and I got out and she got in," Walter Moreland said. "I kissed her and told her to lock the door, like I do every day."

Cynthia Moreland's access card to a downtown Raleigh parking garage was used at 6:40 a.m., but she never reported to work at Progress Energy, where she has worked for 25 years, police said.

Her family called police when she didn't return home Tuesday evening.

Moreland's abandoned 1998 Toyota Camry was located Wednesday morning on Malta Avenue, near the intersection of Rock Quarry Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, police said.

Local residents told police the car had been in the neighborhood since at least Tuesday afternoon.

The vehicle was towed to the police garage Wednesday morning and was examined for possible clues to her disappearance. Officers also canvassed the neighborhood to gather information and search for clues, and a North Carolina Highway Patrol helicopter scanned the area from the air.

Early Wednesday evening, police released surveillance video that was taken Tuesday at a Raleigh-area store and was obtained Wednesday as a result of leads developed during the investigation. The video shows the person of interest walking into the store.

The individual is described as a black male between 25 and 35 years of age. Police said he stands between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs approximately 185 pounds. The man has a dark complexion and a noticeable scar near his mouth, police said.

When last seen, the man was wearing dark sunglasses and was dressed in a multicolored striped shirt, stonewashed jean shorts, and white sneakers with no shoelaces. He also had dreadlocks that were gathered into a light-colored bandanna.

Police said they haven't ruled out foul play in Moreland's disappearance, but said they have no evidence of wrongdoing. Her family told police there was no reason for Moreland to be in southeast Raleigh.

"I don't want to think the worst. You just want to have faith and hope and pray," Walter Moreland said. "(But) it's a bad feeling."

"We're doing everything possible to find her -- everything," Keisha Moreland said of her mother. "We love her."

Anyone with information about Moreland's whereabouts is asked to call the Raleigh Police Department's Detective Division at 919-890-3555.