was 26, disoriented and shoeless when Victoria police encountered her outside the Empress Hotel on Nov. 28, 2012. They spoke with her, though her responses were mainly non-verbal, and deemed her fit to leave her there, in the cold and alone at 8 p.m.
B次元官网网址淭hat was five years ago and no one has seen or heard from Emma since,B次元官网网址� says her mother, Shelley Fillipoff.
In 2014, W5 aired an episode documenting EmmaB次元官网网址檚 case. Jordan Bonaparte and his then-pregnant wife sat watching in their Halifax living room and he instantly felt a connection to the missing woman. B次元官网网址淓mma just felt like someone I would have been friends with,B次元官网网址� he says.
An avid podcaster, Bonaparte chose to feature her case on , his successful audio exploration of B次元官网网址淐anadian true crime, mysteries, and the weird.B次元官网网址� What started out as one episode has now spun off into an entire series called , released in late October with new episodes in the works.
And the deeper Bonaparte dug, the more mystery he found.
B次元官网网址淓very person I talked to, just led to so much new information that in some cases shocked me, and in some cases turned what I thought on its head,B次元官网网址� he says.
On Nov. 28, Shelley flew to Victoria from her home outside Ottawa to bring her daughter back to Ontario. Emma had been on the West Coast for a year, and was struggling. She had called a few times that week saying she needed help to move home. Shelley landed at 11 p.m., missing Emma by just three hours, and ended up staying for 70 days to search for her, piecing together what she could.
Because Emma was an adult when she disappeared, itB次元官网网址檚 added a difficult element to an already perplexing case. Police warned Shelley that she may have gone missing voluntarily, that it can happen when people just want to disconnect from the world, and from their families. But that theory doesnB次元官网网址檛 hold up with the consistent reports of EmmaB次元官网网址檚 declining mental health B次元官网网址� from the police, friends and former roommates B次元官网网址� that Shelley believes contributed to her vanishing.
B次元官网网址淚 think she had some sort of psychotic break, and I think she could literally be anywhere,B次元官网网址� Shelley says, though she stopped trusting her instincts long ago. B次元官网网址淢y gut is a mess. My instincts arenB次元官网网址檛 what they were, they kind of all left when Emma did.B次元官网网址�
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Every day for five years, everywhere she goes, Shelley says people want to talk about Emma. And so does she, but the countless dead-end leads that come from people with good intentions has taken its toll on the mother of four. Diagnosed with PTSD and unable to return to her job as a school teacher, Shelley now lives a quiet life out in the country near Perth, Ont. working at her new profession: finding Emma.
B次元官网网址淪helley is just so desperate for answers and desperate for attention and awareness of EmmaB次元官网网址檚 plight, and of her plight,B次元官网网址� Bonaparte says. B次元官网网址淲hen IB次元官网网址檓 doing anything related to EmmaB次元官网网址檚 story, I feel like itB次元官网网址檚 completely different from other things that I do on my podcast. With this I feel like IB次元官网网址檓 actually helping.B次元官网网址�
HeB次元官网网址檚 not naive B次元官网网址� he doesnB次元官网网址檛 expect to find out what happened, or where Emma is. Her case is so complicated, thereB次元官网网址檚 so many people involved and everyone has their opinions about it, he says. But actively working on it has meant the world to Shelley.
B次元官网网址淛ordan pours his whole heart into this, thatB次元官网网址檚 the differenceB次元官网网址� she says, referring to other podcasts who have featured EmmaB次元官网网址檚 story. B次元官网网址淵ou can tell he feels a very strong connection to Emma.B次元官网网址�
Now the father of a five-year-old son, that connection to Emma is so strong, sheB次元官网网址檚 a part of the family in BonaparteB次元官网网址檚 household and even his son has theories about where Emma could have gone: B次元官网网址渕aybe she went to the mall, dad, and it closed and she got locked inside.B次元官网网址�
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Next week, Shelley will fly to Victoria again, to host a vigil planned for 7:17 p.m. B次元官网网址� the exact time police found first found Emma B次元官网网址搃n front of the Empress. It aligns with three other vigils across the country, one in Campbell River where Emma briefly lived, and , hosted by Bonaparte. SheB次元官网网址檒l also meet with Victoria Police, hoping for some progress on the case, with new Police Chief Del Manak at the helm.
Remembering who went missing 5 years ago today from just outside the harbour
B次元官网网址� Victoria B次元官网网址 (@VictoriaB次元官网网址)
In a statement, VicPD said: B次元官网网址淥ur investigation into EmmaB次元官网网址檚 disappearance is active and ongoing. We continue to receive tips, and we continue to follow up on them. WeB次元官网网址檒l keep searching for Emma until she is located.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 dreading it,B次元官网网址� she says of coming back to the place that was so difficult to leave after 70 days and no answers. B次元官网网址淕etting on that plane five years ago was the hardest thing IB次元官网网址檝e ever had to do. I felt like I was leaving Emma behind.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 have an innate ability to know what to do when a person goes missing,B次元官网网址� Shelley says. But sheB次元官网网址檚 learned, because sheB次元官网网址檚 had to.
B次元官网网址淚f I donB次元官网网址檛 find her, who will?B次元官网网址�
