Young mother disappears after leaving work

BUFFALO COVE, N.C. -- A 21-year-old wife and mother of two disappeared Wednesday night after work and hasn’t been seen since.

Now, Caldwell County deputies plus Amber Pennell’s friends and family members are searching for her.

Pennell’s routine while working at Hannah’s Barbeque in Lenoir is calling her husband to let him know she’s leaving.

She made that call Wednesday night and left work around 10 p.m. She also told her husband she needed to stop for gas.

She never made it home.

Family, friends and investigators say they have no reason to believe the 21-year-old disappeared on purpose. They do not suspect foul play, but at this time say anything is possible.

Investigators checked the gas station surveillance video but for now it’s unclear whether or not Pennell stopped.

Her route home, Highway 268 and Stone Mountain Road, is once of the county's most rugged.

It is filled with twists, turns, loose gravel, unmarked pavement and little room for error. One concern is Pennell might have crashed.

"We have ground units. Right now, the Highway Patrol has a helicopter out. We’re basically trying to find the vehicle she was driving,” said Caldwell County Sheriff Alan Jones.

That vehicle is 1994 white Toyota Tacoma with a blue marking. It has her children's names on it.

Investigators ask if you see it, or see Pennell, call the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office at 828-758-2324.