The car belonging to Elise Malary, a prominent transgender-rights and anti-racism activist, was located March 14 at a municipal parking lot two blocks from Malary's apartment, according to CBS 2 Chicago. However, Malary remains missing after a week with no contact with friends or family.
Malary, who lives at 706 Hinman St. in Evanston, was last in touch with her sister on March 9. Her family has filed a missing persons report with the Evanston Police Department.
According to Iggy Ladden, founder and lead trainer of the Andersonville-based organization Chicago Therapy Collective, with which Malary was active, Malary was engaged in a text-message exchange with her sister March 9 when the messages from Malary came to an abrupt stop.
The next day, her sister asked Malary's maintenance people to check her apartment. The doors were unlocked, and the mobile phone and laptops Malary used for work had been left behind. Malary's car was gone.
"It's not like her to disappear like that," said Ladden.
Malary "doesn't tend to go off the radar completely," said her best friend, Angelina Nordstrom. Nordstrom said that she had not been in touch with Malary since February, when Malary requested some personal space to deal with family issues.
"But there has been no instance where there has been no contact with her whatsoever," Nordstrom said. "…This whole thing is completely unlike her."
Malary, who works as an administrative clerk in the Illinois Attorney General's Office, is a board member of Chicago Therapy Collective, which is dedicated to overcoming health disparities facing the LGBTQIA communities. The organization is especially active in the issue of inclusion for transgender individuals. Malary is a key player there in an initiative titled #HireTransNOW. She moved to Evanston in 2021.
Ladden called Malary both an "amazing activist" and a "tremendous leader" for her community work.
"We just want her to be brought back safe and alive," said Nordstrom. "Everyone loves her. Her community loves her and I love her so much."
CBS 2's story is at www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/news/evanston-activist-elise-malary-missing-car-found/ .
