Fairfax County Police

Family Renews Search for Missing 72-Year-Old Fairfax County Woman

Fairfax County police previously said they suspected foul play in the disappearance of Emily Lu

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The family of a 72-year-old woman who vanished from her home in Lorton, Virginia, is making a renewed call for information in her disappearance.

Emily Lu was last seen on June 3 walking out of an Aldi grocery store with her items. Surveillance video from the Aldi in Woodbridge shows Lu sorting her groceries in the checkout line around 8 p.m.

"I talked to her that day. And then that video, that's the last I know about her," Lu's daughter Jenny Ball told News4.

Lu drove to her house in the 9200 block of Davis Drive in Lorton after grocery shopping. Lu parked, but police said she never took her groceries out of her car.

She was reported missing on June 4 after she didn't show up to her job caring for seniors. More than a month later, her family still doesn't know what happened to her.

Officers found evidence at Lu's home suggesting she may have been harmed inside, police previoulsy said.

"It's hard to be optimistic for her to be saved. We're just … no matter what happens, we want answers," Ball said.

Ball and her family live out of state. They're coming back to Fairfax County this week to continue the search.

Fairfax County Police Major Ed O'Carroll said the homicide unit was investigating and the police department did an extensive search and rescue effort in the days after her disappearance.

"We suspect someone in the community knows information that we do not know," O'Carroll previously told the public.

Police urged anyone with information to call Crime Solvers anonymously at 1-866-411-8477. People can also anonymously text “FCCS” plus their tip to 847411. Crime Solvers is offering a $20,000 reward.

"If you have any information, this is not something to sit on. We're counting on the public at this point," Ball said.

Ball said her mother has been a resident of the community for 30 years and loves living in the area. During the pandemic, Lu took on a job caring for seniors in her home.

"She wants to provide the same level of care that she expects for her own family," Ball previously said.

Lu was last seen wearing a white shirt with a purple design and white pants. She has scars on her arm from a childhood accident. 

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