Ataui Deng, 22 Sudanese model went missing from Manhattan 10 days ago but was found alive in a New York City hospital two weeks after going missing.
Friends first publicly raised concern on Monday, when a fellow model tweeted that Ataui hadn’t been seen in two weeks. Celebrities including Rihanna rallied to raise awareness and find Ataui, who modeled for her River Island collection.
‘If any one has any information on this young lady’s whereabouts, please call the NYPD or email [email protected],’ Rihanna tweeted.
Her close friend, model Ajak Deng sent out an alert on Monday pleading for information about Ataui.
‘I feel so guilty,’ she told MailOnline in an interview. ‘I had been away and hadn’t spoken to her for 2½ months. Now I find she is missing. Her boyfriend says the last time he saw her she just wanted to get away, but she left her phone and everything in their home.’
Ajak said Ataui – whose full name is Ataui Deng Hopkins – has gone missing previously. ‘She sometimes likes to get away but only for a day or so, nothing like this. She would turn her phone off if she didn’t want to talk, but she would always have it with her.
‘I am worried sick about her.’ Ajak added.
No details on Ataui’s condition at the hospital have been released yet.
Ataui, who came to the United States as a refugee from Sudan, was last seen near The Attic Lounge, a rooftop hotspot on West 48th Street near Times Square around 11 pm on August 6, cops say.
But her model agency says she was with her boyfriend, Grant Monohon, 30, two days later than that.
Ataui split with her husband, fellow Trump model Kortney Hopkin, known as Kortney William, 18 months ago. They are in the process of divorcing.
She has appeared on the pages of Marie Claire France, Vogue Germany and Rihanna’s Spring 2013 River Island collection.
Ataui has also strutted on the catwalk for designers including Zac Posen and Proenza Schouler.