Update: Isabel Custodio was located Wednesday and is home safe, according to her family. There are no further details at this time.
The brother of a missing Houston woman is pleading for help to find his younger sister, Isabel Custodio, who went missing in the middle of the night last Wednesday.
Janio “JD” Denilson told Dateline it’s uncharacteristic of his 22-year-old sister to just vanish and not contact anyone.
“We’re all very worried about her,” JD said. “It’s not like her to just go off like that.”
According to the Houston Police, security video shows the 22-year-old leaving her apartment complex in Southwest Houston where she lived with her sister. It was around 3 a.m. on March 3, 2021.
JD told Dateline his sister did not have a car and left all her belongings behind, including her cell phone. He added that it was unusual for her to go out, especially in the middle of the night.
“Why would she just walk off without her phone… or anything,” JD said. “It doesn’t make sense.”
JD and Isabel, who are from Angola, on the west coast of Southern Africa, have been in the Houston, Texas area for the past 16 years.
“This pandemic was tough on her,” JD added. “But she was pushing through. She’s very smart and was eager to get back to being at church – oh, she really loves church.”
JD told Dateline that Isabel speaks several languages, including Portuguese, French, Spanish and English. Before the pandemic, she spent most of her free time at church, at the local library and volunteering at Houston Community College. He added that Isabel loves music and can often be found playing her guitar and singing.
“We just don’t know where she could have gone,” JD said. “It’s very hard right now.”
A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department Missing Persons Unit told Dateline that Isabel’s case is open and active and anyone with information should call the department and reference her case number: 289233-21.
In the meantime, Isabel’s friends and family have been canvassing the Houston area, hanging fliers and talking to neighbors. They’ve also been spreading the word on social media.
“We hope someone who saw her will call us,” JD said. “Any information helps. We just want her home safe.”
Isabel is described as being 5’7” tall and weighing 120 lbs. She has brown eyes and black hair. She wears her hair natural and at the time of her disappearance, it was styled in cornrows.
She was last seen wearing a grey skirt and grey dress jacket made of thin material. She was known to wear glasses, she did not have them on the last time she was seen.
Anyone with information on Isabel’s location is urged to call the Houston Police Department Missing Persons Unit at 832-394-1840 and reference case # 289233-21.