It's been four days since a now weary Fadumo Ahmed last saw her 18-year-old son Abdullahi Sharif.
"Four days, never sleeping, never anything. Oh my God," Fadumo told WHO-TV 13. Abdullahi, who is often called "Abdi" by his family and friends, was last seen on surveillance video Friday night at Target inside Des Moines' Merle Hay Mall, where he's worked for nearly two years.
"At that time we had a couple investigative leads that we thought looked pretty promising. We thought we'd run those out, and unfortunately they didn't go anywhere," Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek told WHO-TV 13.
Investigators say Abdi's cell phone is either off or disabled. They say evidence shows Abdi spends time at three places almost exclusively: his job at Target, with family at home in Des Moines and at Roosevelt High School, where he is a senior.
While the surveillance video of Abdi seen Friday at Target is a starting point, police say what's giving them the most problem is his lack of presence on social media. It's something extremely rare for a teen in this digital age. "The troubling piece for us is there is nothing we can find in his background, at home or at school that would indicate he's got any reason to take off or anything that he's running with the wrong crowd. Nothing like that," Parizek says.
Police say Abdi is about 5'4" and weighs 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored winter coat, khaki-colored pants, and tennis shoes. If you have any information about his location or think you may have seen him, call 911.
(Photo: WHO-TV 13)