
VIRGINIA BEACH — A local woman is “missing under suspicious circumstances,” according to police here.
Bellamy Malaki Gamboa, 39, was last seen on Sunday, July 1 at 8:24 p.m. in the 2100 block of Carrene Drive, police said. She is 5-foot-1, weighs approximately 135 pounds, and has brown eyes and black hair.
At 6:44 p.m. Thursday, Virginia State Police issued a “critically missing adult alert” on Gamboa.
It noted “she is believed to have been abducted and in danger.”
“As the investigation progressed, information was gleaned to heighten our concerns,” Virginia Beach Police spokeswoman Tonya Pierce said when asked why it took days to notify the public of the woman’s disappearance.
Police have deemed the disappearance “suspicious” because of Gamboa’s uncharacteristic behavior — “being away from her infant children and not showing up to work,” authorities said.
Gamboa’s 2005 Gold 4-door Ford Focus was found Tuesday parked next to a dumpster in the 5800 block of Pickering Street, which was fewer than four miles from where she was last seen, police said.
Who last saw her remains unclear – police did not disclose that information. Authorities would only say Gamboa may have been wearing “a gray sports bra and pink boy shorts.”
Police said they are not releasing information whether Gamboa carried a purse or a bag with her.
According to a poster from theawarefoundationofvirginia.com, Gamboa was last seen at 10 p.m. July 1 at her apartment in the Diamond Springs area. Her cellphone, the poster indicated, is “not in service.”
Gamboa has a small flower tattoo on her left foot and a large flower tattoo on her upper right arm, according to the missing person poster.
Police said the tattoo on her right arm is a band or roses, and she also has a tattoo of her first name on her right ankle.
Authorities are asking anyone with information on Gamboa’s whereabouts or information regarding her car to call Crime Solvers at 888-LOCK-U-UP.
Tipsters can also submit information via P3tips.com or by downloading the P3 Tips app available in Apple iTunes and Google Play Stores.