Portland Woman Goes Missing in Hawaii While Celebrating Birthday

Although African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, we account for 33 percent of the missing in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s database. Cases involving African Americans also tend to receive less media coverage than missing Whites, with missing men of color getting even less attention.

NewsOne has partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation and TV One to focus on the crisis of missing African Americans.

To be a part of the solution, NewsOne will profile a missing person weekly and provide tips about how to keep your loved ones safe and what to do if someone goes missing, while TV One‘s newest show, “Find Our Missing,” hosted by award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, tells these stories in visual form.

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Ivanice Harris

Case Type: Endangered
Date of Birth: May 18, 1985
Missing Date: May 16, 2013
Age Now: 29
Missing City: Waikiki
Missing State: Hawaii
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 125
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: Harris was last seen at 2:15 a.m. on Thursday talking with a man outside a bar in Waikiki.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Harris, 29, who is from Portland, was visiting Hawaii to celebrate her birthday. She was last seen by her friends talking to a man outside of a bar.

Friend Jillian Gibides said she pulled up to the area in a cap and saw Harris outside of the bar.

“When I had gotten out and came around the cab, I looked back over and didn’t see her, so I just figured, okay. She’ll just call me when she needs to,” said Gibidies who told HawaiiNewsNow that she considered Harris to be a sister.

Friends and family say it is unusual for Harris to go this long without contacting family.

“The last message we have from her is a text message to our mom on Wednesday,” Harris’ sister Holley Watson told the Oregonian. “She was having a good time. She went to breakfast [on Wednesday]. She went to the beach in the afternoon and she seemed to be extremely happy and enjoying herself.”

Harris’ mother said they spoke regularly.

“Every single day. She and I talk every single day. And I hadn’t heard from her,” said Harris’ mother,Patricia Harris. “And I said okay, she didn’t text me back. That’s when I got the text from her boyfriend, but she was having a great time.”

“I know her, and I know her well enough that this is not normal,” said Gibides. “And on her birthday?”

Harris had recently enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College. Her family has launched a Facebook page to bring attention to the case. They are also trying to raise money to hire a private investigator.

“I’m just hoping that somebody can tell us anything, you know. I just want her to come home, call, give us something to go on at this point,” said her sister, Ivesha Harris.

Last Seen Wearing: A red-orange, long-sleeve sweater and long blue denim pants.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

If anyone has information regarding the whereabouts of Ivanice Harris contact CrimeStoppers in Honolulu at (808) 955-8300 or the Black and Missing Foundation’s confidential Tip Line.