American Idol Contestant's Mother Missing

28-year-old American Idol contestant Angela Martin's powerful performance won her a ticket to Hollywood!

By her side during her big moment was her mom Viola. But now a cloud hangs over Angela's Idol dreams: her mother has vanished.

Chicago police say Viola Brown Martin was last seen on December 26th. Her car was later found abandoned in a remote Chicago suburb.

"My mother is a loving mom," Angela Martin says. She hopes her high profile performance on Idol will "really help" in the search.

Viola Martin has a past history of drug use but has been clean for seven years, her daughter says. A police spokesperson adds, "We are not 100 per cent sure that she is not off on her own accord."