Overland Park — Relatives of a 19-year-old college student believe she was abducted by a man who was harassing her at a northeastern Kansas campus where she was studying for finals.
Aisha Khan, a student at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park who also takes classes at the Kansas University Edwards Campus in the same city, has been missing since Friday morning. That’s when her older sister says she left frantic text messages with her about a drunken man on the Edwards Campus she described as “creepy.”
Faiza Khan said she dropped Aisha off at the campus about 10 a.m. Friday for a noon final. The text messages started arriving within an hour.
“There’s a creepy guy that just came up to me, and he was harassing me,” Faiza said her younger sister told her in a message. She told local media outlets that Aisha “was just freaking out at that time. She didn’t know what to do. I guess she pushed him and she slapped him.”
She said her sister ran away from the stranger and tried calling instead of texting, but reached the voice mail.
“Oh my gosh it was so scary,” Aisha said in her voice message. “My heart is like pounding. I’ve never got this scared in my life. Pick up your phones. I am freaked out right now.”
Faiza said she and a cousin went to the campus and found Aisha’s phone, book bag and iPod on a picnic table, but her sister was gone.
“Nobody saw anything, I guess, which is something I don’t understand,” said the cousin, Sana Habib. “There is so much construction, and there’s so many people over there. How cannot even one person see what’s going on?”
Overland Park police spokesman Matthew Bregel said 30 to 40 officers were searching over the weekend for the missing Olathe woman, but he stopped short of calling her disappearance an abduction.
Aisha Khan was married in July and stays in close contact with a wide circle of friends and relatives, family members said, so it’s highly unlikely she left voluntarily.
Faiza said her family has printed about 5,000 fliers and has been distributing them in the Olathe and Overland Park area. The family is offering $10,000 for any tips that lead to Khan’s whereabouts.
Aisha is 5 feet 2 inches tall, with dark brown hair, brown eyes and glasses. She wore a black jacket beneath a longer black and white coat, police said, and may have been wearing her glasses.
Comments
Alceste 1 year, 6 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
Jayhawk_4_Life 1 year, 6 months ago
shut the hell up, you're not funny
kusp8 1 year, 6 months ago
inappropriate, flagged for removal.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
I am glad this is in the paper, though it is AP only.
KCstar has two articles from sunday, not much more detail.
their facebook page is nicely done. much effort has gone into finding her by many people, started quickly.
I just hope she turns up safe.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
here's the "help find Aisha Khan" Facebook wall, a lot of pictures and other info:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Find-Aisha-Khan/218201234921771?sk=
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
?
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
okay Cakie, looks useful.not so familiar with 4chan ... but why under "b?"
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
some readers following this may have seen me yelling at the ljw people under the previous ljw article about coverage of this missing girl.
I also wrote an email to Alex Parker at LJW.
his answer was that essentially they had to watch their resources and would leave coverage up to the AP, since she wasn't a local student or resident.
I just hope she is found safe soon.
Munsoned 1 year, 6 months ago
But, there will still be a "Meatless Mondays" article. Resources. Right.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
yep! and the mostly vapid/useless "go" section will of course be out right on time!
and it's supposed to cater to young womyn in our community: guess Aisha Khan and her supporters just don't count.
itsalwayssunnyinlarry 1 year, 6 months ago
Looks like cakeboss just discovered the interwebs for the first time.
Sad I find it hard to believe no one saw anything either hope she is okay.
osur351 1 year, 6 months ago
CALL 911 FIRST NOT YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS IF YOU SENSE DANGER!!!
jafs 1 year, 6 months ago
Good point!
kusp8 1 year, 6 months ago
Over/under on how long it takes cake_boss to be dissappeareded?
I'm setting the line at 8am.
itsalwayssunnyinlarry 1 year, 6 months ago
He thinks he's being cool 4chan is so three years ago.
obamasocks 1 year, 6 months ago
Hey LJW -how about deleting this sickos comments? Then give his ip to the FBI as a potential suspect. Cake boss is more than creepy enough to be a suspect in this case.
thebigspoon 1 year, 6 months ago
And which part of this idiot's ravings is protected under the tos, LJW?
fleeba 1 year, 6 months ago
I feel so bad for the family and hope that everything turns out okay.
now.. who didn't show up for work at LJW today? This troll has got to be put to rest.
OonlyBonly 1 year, 6 months ago
obamasocks & thebigspoon - I'm fairly sure cake_boss's comments aren't being deleted for a very good (and fairly obvious) reason. Think about it.
thebigspoon 1 year, 6 months ago
I understand your reasoning, but it seems as if this has gone on long enough. I sincerely hope the family does not have any idea his ranting is available for all to see. And, too, the interested parties have seen enough to know what they need to know.
jhawkinsf 1 year, 6 months ago
There are "0" comments listed. I think somebody at the LJW is paying attention to Cake's rants.
RoeDapple 1 year, 6 months ago
Thank you LJW moderator . . .
snap_pop_no_crackle 1 year, 6 months ago
The ranks of the disappearededed got a new member this morning. That's a good thing.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
wow, I go to bed ... wake up ... drink my coffee ... come on here and all of Cakie's stuff and he himself is in the land of nod.
bye-bye.
ResQd 1 year, 6 months ago
People react differently, I hope she is safe and sound. I can visualize my young daughter calling me, rather than 911. If the campus does not have night security guards, they should get some. I heard the same thing happened at JCC about 3 months ago, although nobody was abducted, they put out an alert, similar scenario.
OonlyBonly 1 year, 6 months ago
@ResQd - except this was at 10am on a Friday for a final. There had to be someone around at then.
Pywacket 1 year, 6 months ago
Heartsick that no one saw/intervened on her behalf. All I can think is that there were far fewer people on campus than usual due to it's being the end of the semester. A lot of people show up only for finals, then go home. The article said the young woman was studying at 10:00 for a 12:00 final; she may have been one of very few who were not either in a classroom for an earlier final or staying home until time to walk in to their noon final. Campuses can drain out dramatically during finals week.
I also wondered why she did not call 911, but maybe she thought that some unpleasantness was the worst danger she faced--or that she had effectively discouraged the man and he had left. Or she may simply have been so panicked that she wasn't thinking clearly. Whatever the case, it sounds like she bravely responded to him and tried to ensure her own safety, poor kid.
ResQd--if you think your daughter might call you rather than 911 in such circumstances, I hope you will take this opportunity to school her! Even if she does not feel that the danger at hand is too serious, it's better to overreact a little than to trust that a drunk (or psychotic, possibly) aggressor will just go away if you show some defensive behavior.
Finally, I can't help but think that if this young woman were named (oh, let's see....) "Natalee" perhaps, and were blonde and white skinned, the national news organizations would be all over this story and all the major TV stations would be running impassioned pleas for her return 24/7.
Jane 1 year, 6 months ago
I should, but cannot resist the opportunity to thank you for encouraging cake_boss to express his views, afterall, he has a right. You should do a little background before you encourage a vile teenage boy to tell us how he really feels. In case you missed it, he was banned today, just days after coming onto the site to defend that 'really nice' 18 year old he goes to school with that had sex with that 'really fast' 14 year old. Thankfully I didn't read what he wrote. Maybe you are his mother...you must be proud.
It's very difficult to take any of your posts, opinions, or suggestions seriously after your support and encouragement of cake_boss. My advise to you is keep your 'wise' thoughts, posts, etc to yourself. Your posts have gone way downhill over the past year.
Pywacket 1 year, 6 months ago
Thank you so much Jane, for the gratuitous grading of my posts! However have I lived all these years without your wise counsel?
In case YOU missed it, I posted this before he was banned, before he wrote whatever vile comments touched off so many people. My comments here were in response to his post here--and nothing else.
I stand by my support of the comment he made here, which was neither obnoxious nor out of line in any way. He was just giving a little background info on the people involved, as he goes to school with them (or said he did). He did not malign anyone or make any outrageous claims.
Maybe I'm his mother? haha! Maybe you're the mother of the 14-year-old girl. Or maybe you're just a frustrated old spinster who has appointed herself critic of other posters' comment quality. Who knows who anyone really is here...
Anyway--thanks again for grading my comments. I'm so sorry they've gone "way downhill over the past year." You must pay very close attention to everyone's comments to keep a running scale of who's maintaining, gaining, or slipping in quality.
I'm in awe of the amount of time and thought you must put into these ephemeral, throw-away comments (comments the posters themselves write, then forget and let go of as soon as fresh news breaks). It almost makes me resent my own full life, which prevents me from a similar obsessive-compulsive scorekeeping of my fellow posters. Almost---but not quite.
Jane 1 year, 6 months ago
Per usual, Py nailed it.\
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
Py et al, possibly she felt hesitant to call 9-1-1 because of her heritage.
many muslims feel estranged from american law enforcement and the mainstream american culture.
GardenMomma 1 year, 6 months ago
How do you know she was Muslim?
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
GM, first her name was a clue. then I read the Facebook page.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
oh yeah, I hope "was" is inappropriate! I hope she is still alive.
GardenMomma 1 year, 6 months ago
Oh! I surely hope she is alive and well too. I hope she is found soon and found safe and unharmed. My heart goes out to her family and friends.
Pywacket 1 year, 6 months ago
It's certainly possible that cultural differences had something to do with her calling a sister rather than 911. Maybe this disappearance will bring about one good thing, and that is for families to discuss crime prevention and self protection--and the importance of calling 911 first, and loved ones next if one feels threatened.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
+++
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
yes, I wish that this had some national coverage.
but please note that Fox4 has done a pretty good job online and on the air of covering this, it also looks like the LEO's there have responded pretty intensely.
and, Py, if you feel this is not getting enough coverage, then do something about it. I have.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
the comment count being shown for this article is totally off!
liberallibrarian 1 year, 6 months ago
Here is a link to suggest the story to CNN. I'm pretty sure they've given it zero coverage so far. http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11b.html.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
last night CNN's HLN channel (#43 on lawrence cable) covered this.
good job. other national outlets have covered it now.
asixbury 1 year, 6 months ago
I sent a suggestion to CNN. Thank you liberallibrarian for posting this information!
srj 1 year, 6 months ago
I am hoping she got stressed out a took a break from life and is hiding out somewhere. 19 years old, married, finals. A lot going on at a young age.
srj 1 year, 6 months ago
Told ya!
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
here's part of the most current posting from the Facebook page/info:
her sister went to the location where she stated she was in the voice mail, she found Aisha's belongings, including her cell phone, but she was no where to be found.
Police have spent Friday and Saturday interviewing family and friends and investigating any leads. A family member has said that the police spoke to landscapers who were working on a nearby construction site and they said they may have seen a woman who matched Aisha's description walking around Pflumm Rd. Nothing has been confirmed.
Please keep checking this page for latest updates on possible mass search attempts.
GENERAL INFO:
At approximately 11:58 A.M on Friday, December 16, Overland Park Police officers responded to a report of a missing person in the area of the Kansas University Edwards Campus at 12600 Quivira Road. The missing person is Aisha Khan, a 19-year-old female. She is also a student at Johnson County Community College.
Description: 5'2, 120 lbs Dark Brown... Hair Brown Eyes Glasses
Aisha Khan was last seen wearing black sweat pants, yellow/black shirt, black scarf, black regular length jacket, and black/white long outer coat.
If you had seen Aisha at all the morning of, spoken to her, or have any information on her whereabouts, please contact the TIPS HOTLINE at 816-474-TIPS as soon as possible.
An official search for Aisha has yet to be announced but this group will serve as a mode of communication and mobilizing community members in the event a search is announced.
Please keep checking into the page and keep Aisha and her family and loved ones in your prayers. Website https://twitter.com/#!/FindAisha
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
hey thanks LL!
good idea.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
the British Daily Mail just published this regarding Aisha Khan: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2076136/Aisha-Khan--10k-reward-missing-college-student-drunk-man-assaulted-her.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
couple of errors but ironically more coverage than LJW. lol. Daily Mail has her disappearing from an "oakland Park" campus, for example.
Armstrong 1 year, 6 months ago
You seem to be uncommonly worked up about this. Just sayin
rodentgirl16 1 year, 6 months ago
Not really. From memory, Bearded_Gnome was an advocate for the victim in the Matthew Jaeger case if I remember correctly. BG helped to set up a victim's trust fund. For that, he's always had my respect.
Armstrong 1 year, 6 months ago
Good deal
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
Thank you Rodent Girl. I am particularly concerned about young women in our society who get victimized.
I also have some muslim friends.
but for this situation I will confess I was quite deeply moved because of her age, and that she was newly married, while trying to better herself in college.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
p.s. I simply figure that if I can get these articles more notice, help spread the info about her and her disappearance, I may aid in her being found, and I pray found alive.
I also know that such notice might help prevent other women from facing such trouble.
verity 1 year, 6 months ago
This is certainly a reminder to all of us to constantly be aware of what/who is around us at all times, even in a familiar place where we feel safe, and to have a plan of action. Years ago a friend of mine heard somebody following her and could have run to a near place where there was a group of people and/or screamed, but she didn't want to embarrass herself if she was wrong---the consequences were that she was raped. Fortunately he let her go afterwards.
Probably a lot of us wouldn't think to call 911 when something creepy or suspicious happens, or would think it wasn't appropriate. In all cases, have the phone number of your local police on speed dial on your cell phone and always have the phone with you. For women, keep your phone in a pocket rather than in your purse.
Aisha, you and your family are in our thoughts. Hope you are safe!
Acey 1 year, 6 months ago
It doesn't help to see that the Journal World has her name wrong.
She is Ms. K H A N, with a Muslim family name. She looks like a "sub-continental." She is not Ms. K A H N, which is more often a Jewish name.
She is Pakistani or Indian, not Israeli.
This is so sad and scary. In any case, I hope that she makes her way home safely, and soon.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help-Find-Aisha-Khan/218201234921771?sk=
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
Acey ... ??? her name seems to be spelled correctly in the article above these comments.
if they have any errors elsewhere, they may well have come from the AP.
under the previous LJW article I said I thought she might be Pakistani.
but wherever she or her family came from, she is missing now, probably scared, probably suffering, unless she's already dead. or, this is a very elaborate hoax.
and I truly doubt the hoax possibility.
Pywacket 1 year, 6 months ago
I'm not sure what to think... I've seen more news coverage since these posts were made and it strikes me as odd that she is described as recently married, and yet nothing that I've read/heard says anything about the husband. Her parents' photos appeared in the Star this morning and they were quoted. The only mention of her marriage is that they were going to put off a honeymoon for a bit.
I have to wonder whether the marriage was to her satisfaction...and that leads to wondering whether she and her sister might have come up with an escape route from (who knows?) a possibly oppressive, possibly parent-chosen mate?
At this point, I would rather it were a hoax of this nature than the alternative--an abduction by a sinister stranger. If it is a hoax, public resources will have been wasted, but a troubled young woman would be alive and presumably safe.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
Py: I have to wonder whether the marriage was to her satisfaction...and that leads to wondering whether she and her sister might have come up with an escape route from (who knows?) a possibly oppressive, possibly parent-chosen mate?
---the husband was interviewed on Fox4, aired last night. I think he is older than her.
however, I would encourage you to reserve judgment because arranged marriages are and have been part of that culture for a very very long time. You might automatically assume most muslim marriages are oppressive.
it seems oppressive to us, but in general they actually work well, chiefly because extended families on both sides make sure that it does.
also, we must not impose our cultural values on them.
btw, there are muslims in this country practicing polygamy, too. they're typically allowed four wives. now to me that seems crazy: why do I want four wives mad at me/nagging me? lol.
but it is part of their faith and culture.
as far as I can tell, Aisha was Sarhan's only wife (I've only inferred that that is hubby's name, might also be Aisha's father.)
but the newly wed, young girl, going to college, missing/abducted, are all traits here which should touch to us across the cultural differences.
Pywacket 1 year, 6 months ago
Whoa! I'm not jumping to any conclusions at all! Like you, I'm merely speculating on various possibilities. Escaping an arranged marriage (or even a marriage that the couple enters into on their own) is not outside the realm of possibility. Remember the "runaway bride" case a few years ago? Very different circumstances, but that woman was using a fake crime to get out of a situation in which she felt trapped. If someone about to marry someone she picked out herself might feel trapped and resort to subterfuge, I think the POSSIBILITY of an arranged marriage (to an older man, no less) is at least as likely a motive for possible escape.
Like Christians, atheists, Jews, or any other group, Muslims can't be lumped into a one-size-fits-all generalization. One of my own Muslim friends (of Iranian descent) does not wear the veil and is as "westernized" as you or me...while her cousin wears the veil, does not drive, and defers to male relatives. My friend frequently provides transportation for this older cousin.
Others I have known do, indeed, have extremely oppressive (to my western way of thinking) male relatives. I've known Muslim women who are not "allowed" to eve speak to clerks, doctors, etc., remaining silent, with eyes downcast, while the husband or brother (even a younger brother) speaks for them. I'm not debating whether this is right or wrong--it's simply a cultural norm for those individuals. Like it or not, cultural conditions might have a bearing on Ms Kahn's situation. Or might not! We just don't know, but I wouldn't rule that out.
I'm quite aware that the possibility I suggested was only one of MANY possible scenarios and I never presented the idea as a "conclusion." When we know too little about what happened, it's only natural to speculate. I would think any of us commenting/reading the comments would know without it being emphasized that ALL our thoughts here are speculation.
Interesting that the husband was interviewed for TV. I still haven't seen much about him in printed coverage, which does seem odd, with the parents speaking out.
Also--I agree that you don't need more wives nagging you when you can have fellow posters asserting themselves when they feel misunderstood. ;-)
salad 1 year, 6 months ago
If a woman is not safe at noon on a work day, outside on the Edwards campus in the middle of cupcake-land, then women aren't safe anywhere. I pray she turns up OK. Going out to buy key-chain mace right now.....
robbspace 1 year, 6 months ago
Spray Mace Is Very Effective Self Defense
The_Big_B 1 year, 6 months ago
This is horrid and shocking. Take the time to talk to your daughters ... tell them that if they feel threatened or uneasy because of another person, and cannot immediately get away, then they should go immediately to a front desk, any office with people in it, or just go up to any person or group who look like they may be helpful, and just tell them you might need help. AND, tell them to go ahead and call 911 if they think they are unsafe. If the police come, and there is not a great threat, they won't mind checking ... and, if there is somebody creeping-out people bad enough to have the police called, they might want the opportunity to talk to that creeper and maybe identify them, or, in some instances, help the creeper get needed services.
Don't be shy about calling 911 if you feel you are not safe.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
+++
robbspace 1 year, 6 months ago
This is someone's daughter is missing, it has nothing to do with where is she from and her athnecity. this nonsense of argument is wrong. Overland Park police and the FBI made it there fist priority to find Aisha Khan, Let's stay positive and keep our hopes high and so let's not jump to conclusions.
bearded_gnome 1 year, 6 months ago
yesterday the OPPD chief stated that the FBI is involved, and that this is being treated as an abduction.
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