Frustration and concern is growing in the south Nanaimo neighbourhood where 16-year-old Makayla Chang vanished.
29 days have passed now since she was last seen or posted on social media.
Wanda Poole is so worried about the disappearance of Makayla Chang, that she says she can’t stop looking for her.
“Just something like this to happen, it’s tragic,” says Poole. “I’m always looking and I thought I’d seen her and I looked at this girl and I actually got up close to her and it wasn’t Makayla and I cried.”
The petite 16-year-old has now been missing for 29 days. She was a frequent guest at Poole’s south Nanaimo apartment complex and would often play with the kids in the yard.
“She was like an older sister to me,” says Tyler Hall.
“She was an amazing kid and we really liked her,” says Tyler’s Dad, Barry Hall.
Parents here feel like one of their own has disappeared.
“I’m worried. I don’t let my daughter go anywhere right now pretty much,” says Barry Hall.
Because RCMP are remaining tight lipped about clues they have found in the search, including the extensive searches of the home she was staying in with 57-year-old Steven Bacon, against her grandmothers wishes.
“It sickens me that there is somebody out there that knows where she’s at but they’re not saying anything,” says Poole.
Many doubts are surfacing here too about whether RCMP suspect she is in Nanaimo. Friday, the Montreal Gazette published an article stating police there were looking for Makayla, releasing a statement that she might be in Montreal or the area surrounding the city.
This weekend Nanaimo RCMP clarified that, saying police agencies across Canada have been notified about Makayla’s case but that they have no reason to believe she is in Montreal.
President of Nanaimo Search & Rescue Carly Trobridge was out training with her newly certified Wilderness search dog Hazel, that can detect human scent from as far as 100 metres away.
“She was born to do this and it shows, when you see her work,” says Trobridge.
They are fine tuning their skills in case they are tasked with another search for Makayla. Hopeful still that she will be brought home.
“So Makayla Chang as with any missing or lost person it’s exactly why we train to do this work,” says Trobridge. “You want to be able to find that person, or you want to be able to help that family, and you certainly want to be ready when your assistance is required.”
Ready to help in the seach, as this worried community waits and hopes for some direction from RCMP on what to do next, to help bring this missing girl home.
Skye Ryan
