Woman missing for 5 days was off medication, with man she'd met before, mother says

A Raleigh mother told WRAL News on Friday her daughter is home safe after being missing for five days.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday asked for help locating Elizabeth Marie Torres, 29, who has autism and a history of mental health issues.

Tina Salmon, her mother, said Torres was off her medication for almost a week and was "very confused and scared" when she was located on Thursday.

Salmon said it was a tip from someone who watched the story on WRAL News that led deputies to find Torres.

While the circumstances surrounding Torres' disappearance are still under investigation, Salmon fears her daughter was with a man she met on the internet who had taken her a few weeks ago.

Torres had last been seen at Kary Drive around midnight on Nov. 25. Her mother posted flyers all over town, hoping someone would recognize her daughter.

Salmon said Torres met a man online about a month and a half ago. They would secretly meet at the Walmart off Fayetteville Road in Garner, she said.

According to Salmon, police located Torres the first time she went missing with the man.

"We got her back, but he managed to get back in contact with her. He showed up at our house and she was gone. It was within minutes. My passenger door of my car was open, stuff was thrown all over my driveway in my car," said Salmon.

Salmon believes the man is preying on her daughter because of her cognitive impairments.

“He preyed on her disabilities, and he’s preying on her innocence," she says. “I think any mom's biggest fear: Getting a knock on your door that your child is gone. Forever."

The Wake County Sheriff's Office had said it was possible Torres was with a Hispanic male she calls her fiancé.

Salmon said officers had been trying to track his phone, but there had been no activity since Sunday.

Investigators say they will continue to look into the circumstances behind Torres' multiple-day disappearance.