Missing Wisc. Mom May Be 'Victim of Foul Play,' as Phone Is Found in Bushes

Emily Rogers, 23, was last seen near her Milwaukee home on April 26

Emily Rogers. Photo: Milwaukee Police Department

Milwaukee police who've raised concerns about "foul play" are asking for help to locate a missing mother.

Emily Rogers, 23, was last seen near her home around 4:30 p.m. April 26 wearing a t-shirt, skinny jeans and black-and-gold Timberland boots.

In a news release Wednesday, police classified Rogers as a "critical missing person," and added, "There is reasonable suspicion to believe her disappearance is not voluntary and/or she is the victim of foul play."

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A friend of the missing woman reported finding Rogers' phone in some bushes, and on Monday, police searched a park about a half-mile from where the phone reportedly was found, reports FOX 6 Milwaukee.

That friend also told police the park was the last place that Rogers' boyfriend, whom police did not name, was seen, according to the outlet.

On Wednesday night, police were seen searching a trash pile after receiving a tip to look in the area, reports WDJT TV.

A call by PEOPLE to police was not immediately returned.

The missing woman's 1-year-old daughter, who was found safe by police, was with Rogers' parents, who were parked outside of Rogers' Milwaukee residence on Wednesday.

"I just hope she's safe somewhere," her mother, Ammie Rogers, told FOX 6. "We need all the help we can get, finding someone to help us."

Emily Rogers. Milwaukee Police Department

"I'm going to assume they have some leads, but they're not going to tell us because they don't want us to mess up the investigation," she said. "If you know anyone in the area and they have cameras, maybe you can check the cameras. Just searching and praying – anything we can do."

Rogers is a Texas native whose mother traveled from that state to Milwaukee to help with the search, according to FOX 6. She recalled that in her last conversation with her daughter, she begged her to return to Texas, "because she has family that needs her, misses her and wants her in Texas where it's safe."

Police asked for anyone with information to call them at [phone] or, to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414) 224-TIPS.