Watch CBS News

ComEd Sends Out Fliers After Employee's Daughter Goes Missing

CHICAGO (CBS) -- For the first time, ComEd is sending out missing person's fliers in customers' monthly billings and grabbing the attention of 3.8 million people.

One case hits close to home. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot has an original report.

"She just went for a walk and she didn't make it home. Never made it home."

Shantinel Laws remembers Aug. 17, 2015 as the day her 24-year-old daughter, Jerrica Lizette Laws vanished without a trace.

"My neighbors saw her the day of her disappearance," Laws said. "But they didn't see her return."

Park Forest Police Deputy Paul Morache said Jerrica was not your typical 24-year old.

"She was more of a stay-at-home person and a church going person," Dep. Morache said.

Jerrica had gone for her regular afternoon walk her neighborhood of Park Forest.

When she did not return, Shantinel Laws' ComEd co-workers took part in searches, to find Jerrica. The CEO, even called, Shantinel.

"She reassured me, if there's anything that she could do, she was available and I could reach out to her," Laws said.

That is when she thought about enclosing this flier about her daughter's disappearance, with each ComEd customers' bill.

"One of the things people will say is this is something ComEd is doing with other people's money and this is ComEd's money, that we're using to leverage this," said Melissa Washington, ComEd VP External Affairs. "Shareholder money. It's the shareholders that are footing the bill for this."

This is the first time ComEd has ever enclosed fliers with customers' bills.

"We were really inspired because, not just that it was the right thing to do, but this was affecting a co-worker, which is essentially a family member, when you think about the amount of time that we spend together," Washington said.

"Everyone has been so supportive," Laws said. "I just want her home and I love her."

Laws' simple request could soon affect other families with missing loved ones. ComEd is now looking at collaborating with missing persons organizations to include other cases, in bill mail outs.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.