A man whose pregnant wife disappeared while on her way to work sobbed and broke down in tears Wednesday as he pleaded for her return.

Liana White, 29, failed to show up for work Tuesday morning. Her car was found abandoned in a parking lot near her home.

Her disappearance has prompted an intense search by police and civilian volunteers in the couple's suburban Edmonton neighbourhood.

"My wife is a good person, never hurts anybody, never would. She would never hurt a fly. She is a gentle person," Michael White told CTV News.

"Who ever has her, or if she is out there and you see me, or see this, just stay there and we will find you. I will find you."

Police made an appeal of their own Wednesday, asking for the public's help in their search.

White, who is four months pregnant with her second child, was last seen by her husband at 6:15 a.m. when she left in her green medical scrubs for a downtown hospital where she works.

Police say the driver's door of her 1991 brown Ford Explorer was found open and her purse and keys were inside.

White's wallet was missing, her identification and shoes were scattered around the parking lot and her cellphone was found in the grass 15 metres away.

There were no signs of a struggle.

Detectives were checking numerous tips and continued to canvass neighbourhoods.

"We are asking everybody and anybody if they saw anything unusual," said police spokeswoman Lisa Lammi.

"Don't discount anything you think is unusual or irregular."

Police say White has never disappeared before and never failed to show up for work without calling.

Homicide, robbery, traffic and forensic investigators were brought in to help.

Civilian volunteers flagged down rush-hour traffic Tuesday and handed out flyers with the missing woman's photo. Police searched the family's house and seized the vehicle for forensic analysis.

Neighbours on the crescent where the couple have lived for four years are in shock.

White is known as a quiet, friendly woman. The couple's first child, a girl, is just a toddler.

Lammi said police wouldn't comment on a tip that White's abandoned vehicle was reported in the area before 6:15 a.m. -- the time her husband said White left for work.