Nearly 7 years ago, 21-year-old Keeshae Jacobs of Richmond, Virginia, told her mother she was going to a friend’s house following an argument with her then-boyfriend.

In the face of the Calethia “Carlee” Russell piece, co-founder of Black and Missing Foundation, Natalie Wilson stated, “We will not be dismayed.”

Russell’s case got attention because it was sensational, then because it was a hoax. Here are women you should know instead.

Derrica Wilson is the co-founder and CEO of the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc. She joined Tonya Pendleton to discuss the recent Carlee Russell case in Alabama.

On Monday, her attorney admitted Russell lied about seeing a child on the interstate and about being kidnapped. The hoax is raising concerns from some groups about what could happen the next time a black woman disappears.

People go missing — for real — every day. Will the next report of a missing Black woman be taken less seriously because of Russell’s charade?

The co-founder of the non-profit Black and Missing Foundation hopes that Carlee Russell’s case does not deter the public from sharing the profiles of missing persons.

The Black & Missing Foundation says amid the investigation into the Carlee Russell case, there’s more awareness on the alarming rate of missing Black people.

Last year, Black women and girls accounted for 1 in 5 missing persons cases in the U.S. despite making up just 7% of the population.

What the viral story of a missing Alabama woman says about all of us.