Sheryl Watson. (photo courtesy of the LAPD)

A 48-year-old woman who disappeared after unexpectedly leaving her apartment in East Hollywood on July 8 returned on July 28.

Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Missing Person Unit had been searching for Sheryl Watson, who lives with her two adult daughters in an apartment in the 100 block of South Virgil Avenue, near Beverly Boulevard. She left at approximately 6 a.m. on July 8 without shoes, a cell phone, purse or personal belongings. Watson’s daughters called police after they realized she was missing.

A police bulletin was distributed and media reported on the woman’s disappearance. One of Watson’s daughters called the Missing Persons Unit on July 29 to let them know she had returned, and Watson also spoke to police, said Det. Kristin Merrill.

“She said she just need time to clear her head,” Merrill added. “She needed some time alone.”

The detective said Watson told her she had been staying at undisclosed locations in her neighborhood and had gone to shelters for necessities. Watson did not have a history of mental illness. The only clue to her reason for disappearing involved her recent involvement with a Compton-based church.

“Apparently it was weighing on her mind,” Merrill said. “Other than that, she didn’t have much more to say.”

Watson’s daughters had been in frequent contact with police and had been canvassing the neighborhood. No crime was committed, and the case was closed.

“It’s actually not uncommon for these types of things to end up this way,” Merrill added. “We have a lot of cases like this where someone just goes away for whatever reason.”