Where could 23-year old Hannah Upp be?

It’s been over a week now since the young Spanish teacher vanished from her Harlem neighborhood. She was reportedly last seen by one of her roommates wrapped in a towel either walking from their bathroom to her bedroom or the other way around.

It’s all a blur for her family and friends who are having a difficult time thinking of how this vivacious, funny, free spirited, yet street smart woman could have just vanished, most importantly without her key belongings. After her roommates noticed that she wasn’t around last weekend, they started to worry, and went into her room to see what was up. There they found her cell phone, purse, wallet, passport (she had lost her id, and was using her passport) ATM card, subway card, and keys. A heart stopping discovery. She loved to run in the nearby parks — but her running shoes were in her room too.

That’s when her roommate “Manny” started to scroll through her cell phone and call her friends to see if they knew where she was. No one had a clue. He talked first to one of Hannah’s best friends who came up on her call list, who’s name also is Hannah, and after a discussion about what to do, they decided to go to the police.

Her friends describe her as one of the most caring people they’ve ever known, and say there is no way she would ever just “take off”, especially with her new school year about to start. After Hannah’s friends called the police, they were told to “keep them informed”, because often times, people DO go away and don’t tell people, and they need to wait 24 hours to file a missing persons report. Her friends knew something was wrong immediately, and when the police learned that Hannah didn’t show up to teach her class this Tuesday, they knew too.

Today, we took our cameras and drove north to Harlem to check out the apartment complex where she was last seen at 63 Hamilton Terrace, and to talk with her worried friends and mother. They just don’t know what happened, there isn’t a clue, or one indication where she went. There are no security cameras around, so there unfortunately are no pictures of her leaving or who she may have left with. If she were to have come out of that front door, and headed to her left, that would have been the direction of the park where she ran and her school where she taught. If she had gone to the right, she would have been heading in the direction of the subway and local grocery store.

I have unfortunately covered a lot of missing persons cases, and the one thing I can say, is that it always helps when family and friends talk to the media. It is the best way to keep the story out there, and get the pictures on the news so we can all look for the person who has vanished. It is extremely hard though. It is never easy to look into the eyes of worried family members and friends and think about what they are going through, all you have to do is think of your own mother or father that worried about you, and it can take your breath away.

Her friends are streamlining the effort to reach as many people as possible in their search to find Hannah Upp. They have started a Facebook page on the popular social network to see if anyone out there can help. If you are a member plug in Hannah Upp in the search box, and you’ll see the “We’re not giving Upp” (on Hanna) link. There you will find the latest information from her friends, and a lot of really great pictures of her with her friends that really show her personality.

If you have ANY information on Hannah Upp’s whereabouts there is a 12-thousand dollar reward. Call the Crime Stopper tipline at 1-800-577-TIPS. Any information could help bring this young woman home to her family and friends who love her dearly, and want her home safe.