Missing South Florida Woman Gena Sims Found Safe, Says Family

A 28-year-old South Florida woman who had been reported missing for nearly a week has been found safe, according to her family.

Gena Sims, a local singer and community advocate who founded the Autism Theater Project, had not been seen or heard from since reportedly landing at Miami International Airport after a trip to Houston. Her family said she flew back to Miami last Friday on a Spirit Airlines flight. Airline records confirmed she boarded and arrived, but soon after, her phone began going straight to voicemail and she stopped responding to messages.

Her mother, Christine Sims, said the sudden silence was unusual. “She’s a very busy person, a very hard worker, very dedicated to what she’s up to,” Christine told CBS News Miami. “But I reach out to her, she’s gonna respond. It may not happen right away, but she’s definitely gonna respond—and usually it’s pretty quick.”

The family said there was no activity on Sims’ social media accounts during the time she was missing. They grew increasingly concerned after receiving what they described as an unusual text message late Friday night. Christine shared a screenshot of the exchange, which began with her reminding her daughter to call her grandmother around 9:26 p.m. At 11:44 p.m., she got a reply: “Hi, I had a change of plans. I’ll be addressing an emergency.” That was the last message received from Sims’ phone. Further messages asking for more details received no reply, and calling her resulted in a full voicemail box.

“I’m concerned that her phone seems to be missing, that somebody had texted something on her phone Friday night that was not her,” Christine said during the search. “It was not sounding like her and it’s been a week almost. This is crazy.”

Gena Sims is known in the Miami community for her performances at local music venues and her nonprofit work. She created the Autism Theater Project in support of her younger sister Olivia, who is on the autism spectrum. Sims also works as Olivia’s home health nurse. According to her online profiles, she attended New World School of the Arts and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University.

As of Tuesday morning, Gena Sims’ family confirmed she had been located and was safe. Details about her whereabouts during the time she was missing have not been made public.

For now, her loved ones are relieved to have her back. While questions remain, the outcome has brought relief to a family that had spent days anxiously seeking answers and urging the community to keep watch.

Sims’ family has not stated whether they plan to share further information, but they thanked those who offered support and helped raise awareness during the time she was missing.