Raleigh mom fears gang responsible for daughter's disappearance

A Raleigh teen has been missing since Monday, and her mother said she worries that gang members are responsible for her disappearance.

Ashanti Coley-Carter, an eighth-grader at Martin Middle School, hasn't been seen since about 10 p.m. Monday, when she apparently slipped out of her house on Crabtree Boulevard undetected.

"As each day passes, I get more scared and more scared," Beverly Coley said Friday. "I went from looking in buildings to looking in woods and looking in ditches – just because you want to rule out everything."

Raleigh police have the 14-year-old listed as a runaway, but Coley said her daughter would never go this long without contacting her.

A few days before Ashanti disappeared, her mother said, she was assaulted at the Raleigh North Apartments, off Raleigh Boulevard. She was treated at WakeMed, and her mother said she told police a known gang member was responsible for the assault.

"I'm very concerned that it could be related (to her disappearance)," Coley said, "because of the nature of the situation and the people involved."

Although police said there is no indication of foul play, she said her concern grows daily.

"Right now, I am just trying to be strong," she said. "The more time that passes, I know that the chances are not good."