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Wansah Hadgi (CBS photo)

Posted: Tuesday, 06 October 2009 9:20AM

Vanished: Woman disappears at O'Hare



CHICAGO (CBS) ― How did a woman disappear without a trace from O'Hare International Airport?

That's the question a Nebraska family is asking. They haven't heard from the woman since Sept. 11, when she should have been flying home.

CBS 2's Pamela Jones retraces her steps.

Wansah Hadgi's sister says the 32-year-old woman missed her uncle in Syria and just wanted to take a trip to see him.

Hadgi insisted on making the trip by herself, despite what her family calls her poor sense of direction.

Now they believe she may be lost -- or worse.

Hadgi's loved ones say she simply vanished after landing at O'Hare more than three weeks ago.

"It's devastating not to know where she might be or what might have happened to her," her sister, Dilma, said.

She says Hadgi called her just before she left Damascus and she seemed fine.

"She said she would call me from Chicago and tell me when to pick her up in Omaha," she said.

But she says Hadgi never made that second call. Instead, the family got a call from American Airlines, saying Hadgi's baggage made it to Omaha, but that she didn't claim it.

The family says it's not the first time Hadgi seemed to lose her way. Hadgi's family says her trouble actually began on her trip to Syria, when she found herself lost at O'Hare and then tried to call her brother for help. She actually waited by a pay phone for three days until her brother came.

People at O'Hare hadn't heard about the disappearance. Aviation security experts say disappearances like this are rare, but they do happen.

Aaron Gellman of Northwestern University says he doesn't think it was the airport or the airlines' responsibility to track Hadgi and that she may have left on her own.

Hadgi's sister says O'Hare confirmed she did get through customs but did not board her flight to Omaha.

Copyright MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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