( CNN ) -- The husband of an American woman , who has been missing for six weeks in Japan , said Thursday that she had threatened to kill herself the night she disappeared after the two argued . Vince Abad , an airman at a major U.S. Air Force facility in Japan , said he and his wife , Kelli , had fought over the phone on the night of October 26 after he had gone to see their pastor , who had helped resolve disputes between them in the past . When he returned home , his wife was gone and their two children were in bed . `` We 'd had arguments before -- it did n't feel too out of place , '' Abad , 30 , said . He said he assumed she had gone to stay with a friend . But when Kelli Abad , 27 , did n't come back by the following morning , he became concerned and raised the alarm . Two days later , the wife 's car , a Toyota SUV , was found at Cape Zanpa on the island of Okinawa , about 10 miles from the base , with her cell phone and purse inside . Also inside the car was a note , Abad said , that read , `` Love my kids , love my hubby and parents . Bye . '' Cape Zanpa is known locally as a place for committing suicide , Abad said . The Japanese police , the fire department and coast guard have searched caves and cliffs in the area but have found no trace of her , the police have said . The U.S. military has been helping with the search . Family members have also attempted their own searches in the area , he said . No witnesses have come forward , despite a poster campaign in English and Japanese saying she is missing . The family is `` always hoping for the best -- that she 's out there , '' Abad said . But they are also aware of the possibility that his wife `` might have decided to leave us on her own terms . '' `` Right now , she 's a ghost , '' he said . The couple 's two young children -- a 1-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl -- are learning to deal with their mother 's absence , Abad said . In the first few weeks after Kelli Abad 's disappearance , he found his daughter crying one night . When he asked her what was wrong , he said , she replied , `` We do n't have a mommy . ''
Kelli Abad disappeared the night that she and her husband argued , he says . She has been missing for six weeks . The couple had a daughter together who was born in March of this year. Her family is holding out hope but is aware of the possibility she 's gone .