Nov. 12, 2024 By Bill Parry
The pastor of a Sunnyside church and his wife are elated with the safe return of their daughter on Friday, just over a week after a citywide search was launched to find her.
Dan Sadlier of the Mosaic Covenant Church called the harrowing eight-day period after his 21-year-old daughter Markeysha vanished from the family home on Roosevelt Island on Nov. 1 as a week “of grief, anxiety, and joy.”
Her mother, Amanda Talmage Sadlier, took to social media to thank those who helped search for her daughter and requested privacy for her family on Saturday morning, a day after police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria announced that she had been found on Friday.
The search grew more desperate with each passing day because Markeysha lives with autism and borderline cognitive disabilities, diabetes, ADHD, and anxiety. She also recently underwent brain surgery and vanished without her medication or cell phone.
“We are so humbled and grateful by all the love and support we have received over the last week,” Amanda wrote on Facebook. “I am continuing to formulate thoughts and will have much to share as I reflect on the traumatic days that we have just gone through as a community.”
She added that her family’s journey towards healing is just beginning.
“We won’t be sharing all of what has transpired — many of the details are still very unclear,” she wrote.
“What we do know is that it is even more evident how important it is for our sweet, trusting Markeysha to be in an environment of safety and support where she can learn to be more empowered and grow into a healthy, safe, thriving adult.”
She concluded her message with “more in the days to come, but for now — we are unbelievably grateful.”