Laquita

Wife: Laquita, Age: 39

Missing Husband: Donte

Location: San Jacinto, CA

Laquita last had contact with her husband in June 2021.

Laquita met her husband Donte in middle school. The two remained childhood friends until high school. After high school they went their separate ways, but the separated duo rekindled their friendship as adults in 2010. At this point, Laquita had two children from a previous relationship but was now a single mother. Donte was just out of the Navy. She viewed Donte as the best-friend from her childhood who had grown up to be an ideal man and partner. He was honest, moral, a hard-worker, a strong provider for her family and an ideal father-figure for her children. They dated for two years and were married in February of 2012. The two began a path of building a life and family of their own.

At this point, the couple was living in Las Vegas and Donte made good money as a long-haul truck driver. However, the life and lifestyle of driving trucks put a serious strain on their marriage. Donte was gone for long periods of time, and although they would communicate the best they could, it felt like they were in a long-distance relationship. Laquita eventually found evidence of infidelity. Donte confessed, explaining how lonely it was for him on the road. Laquita, although hurt, did her best to understand where he was coming from. They came up with a unique solution: they entered into an open relationship. At first, she was reluctant, but eventually gave in. She dated several men, and he would talk to women while being out on the open road. However, Donte’s idea backfired on him. Donte became jealous of Laquita being with other men. They decided to end the open part of their relationship and switch back to a traditional, monogamous marriage. During this time, Laquita became pregnant and Donte and Laquita became parents of their own biological child.

Their marriage had ups and downs, but ultimately the lifestyle of long-haul trucking made life hard on Laquita. She wouldn’t see her husband for long-periods of time while she was at home raising their young child and her two older children. Financially the family found themselves on hard times and lost their home in Las Vegas. Since Donte was always on the road, they decided that it would be better for Laquita and the children to move into Laquita’s parents’ home. It wasn’t an ideal situation as Laquita never really saw eye-to-eye or gotten along with her parents. But this seemed like the best situation for everyone so, in June of 2021 Donte helped Laquita and the children move in with her parents in San Jacinto, California. He said goodbyes as he normally did before a long-haul trip and like always he went on his way. However, Laquita didn’t realize this would be the last time that she would see Donte.

Moving in with her parents was rough for Laquita. She wasn’t close with them and now she was unemployed and living in their home with her children. Donte was supposed to come home from his trip for their child’s birthday, but when he didn’t show up and she didn’t hear from him, that’s when she knew something was wrong. Donte wouldn’t answer texts, phone calls or emails. It was normal for him to disappear on the road, but this complete absence felt different. Panicked, and with little resources, Laquita knew she would have to begin providing for herself. She started attending trucking school, earned her certificate, and was able to afford an apartment for her and the kids after she started driving. Although things were looking up for her, Donte was still ghosting her.

Today, Laquita is navigating life as an abandoned wife, a mother of three and working as a long-haul truck driver. Laquita’s older two children are high school aged and in the process of entering adulthood. Naturally, these young adults have had to grow up quickly, protecting and caring for their mother. Despite Donte not being around, Laquita wants to focus on being the provider for them, ensuring that they have every opportunity in life, especially now since they are planning for life after high school. She doesn’t want them worried about their mother.

Laquita has not told many of her friends and family the details of her relationship or her abandonment from Donte. Her parents, siblings and close friends, realize that he isn’t in the picture, but they don’t know all of the details as it relates to the open relationship, the ghosting, what his absence means. Laquita fears that if she shares this aspect of herself, she’ll make her already strained relationship with her parents even worse, to the point that they might disown her and her children.

Additionally, Laquita wants and needs a divorce. She wants her maiden name back, but needs a divorce in order to do that - and in order to get a divorce, she needs to find Donte and serve him papers. Laquita is also carrying a big secret that has been weighing on her. During the time that Donte and Laquita were in an open-relationship is when she became pregnant. She was intimate with several men at that time, including Donte. She’s unsure who is the biological father, and thinks that it is important to eventually find out who the father is.

Even with all she’s been through, Laquita has not given up on love. But the few people she’s dated recently are scared off as soon as they find out that she is still married. Laquita wants to find Donte not only to get a divorce, but to get closure. The two were genuine friends from middle school and his abandonment has not only been hurtful but has felt like a betrayal on the intimate trust that they built over years together. However, Laquita suspects that she doesn’t entirely know or understand the full nature and truth of the man she married.