THE Christmas lights haven't gone up yet at Eileen Nelson's home.
Every year she would put them up on her granddaughter, Angeline Pete's, birthday, but the 29-year-old former North Vancouver resident has been missing since last May. When the big day, Dec. 5, arrived with still no sign from her, Nelson just couldn't muster the willpower.
"I couldn't do that this year because I haven't heard from her," she said, after the family held a candlelight vigil outside the house on the Gusgimukw First Nation reserve near Port Hardy. Pete, she said, never missed the holidays, or a chance to be with family.
"Her birthday was hard," added Nelson, describing the mother of a sevenyear-old boy, as kind, caring and always ready to make someone laugh.
The family, including Nelson and Pete's mother, Molly Dixon, continue to say the police haven't done enough to find their loved one. Dixon herself has been in Vancouver, scouring the city for any sign of her missing daughter for two months. Without success.
The RCMP say the case is still a high priority, and this week took the unusual step of releasing a detailed breakdown of all the work done since Pete was
reported missing on Aug. 8. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Richard De Jong said police believe she may have been hitchhiking, in particular to Alberta. They're hoping someone saw her.
"All it takes is someone to say 'Yeah, I saw her, I texted her,' whatever the case may be," said De Jong.
Angeline Pete was last seen May 26 by a friend leaving her home in North Vancouver, which according to the police timeline was one day after she learned the RCMP had charged her with failure to appear in court.
It wasn't until August that Pete was reported missing. The delay is because Pete often worked with carnivals over the summer, travelling constantly and calling much more infrequently than normal, said Nelson. But after several months with no word, the family grew suspicious, she said.
Police began preliminary work creating a timeline of Pete's last-known activities and liaised with Alberta police, according to the timeline. On Aug. 9, they did checks with a past employer, outreach workers in the Downtown Eastside, Vancouver Police, corrections, immigration and social welfare agencies across both provinces, and on Aug. 10 discovered Pete's financial and social network sites had lain dormant since May. On Aug. 16, with no firm leads, the RCMP appealed to the public.
On Aug. 24, two RCMP officers canvassed the Downtown Eastside with Pete's photo, and they began the task of taking family DNA and dental records. The file was worked on "every day" and new tips were "actioned immediately," according to the release.
The serious crime unit took over the investigation on Sept. 13, and on Oct. 3 a further press release was issued with an updated photo and information that Pete may have been hitchhiking
in northern B.C. or Alberta. On Oct. 24, De Jong held a press conference with Pete's family members, while a third release was issued with an update on locations Pete may have travelled in November. Police say they received more than 100 leads in that time, and kept in constant contact with the family.
But Dixon and Nelson can't escape the emptiness Pete used to fill. They say police haven't given enough scrutiny to Pete's fiancé, who she was set to marry this year and was living with prior to her disappearance. Pete's family allege he was abusive, and are upset police haven't pursued him more vigorously as a suspect and allowed him to leave the country for a vacation.
"I believe there's more that they can be doing," she said.
De Jong said the RCMP has interviewed the fiancé, but there is no evidence to detain him, or to recommend charges. At this point, De Jong couldn't say whether they believe they are investigating a missing person, or if something more sinister is at play.
The police will continue to follow leads as they come - and they continue to come in, De Jong added.
"We totally appreciate to have a loved one missing, there's a lot of anxiety and concern and worry about that person," he said.
It's cold comfort to Nelson, but she know she will have to put up those Christmas lights eventually, preparing for a holiday without Pete. "She always wanted to be here for dinner, because her family was here. Things like that were important for her."
