Faced with a bleak Christmas, with no news about their missing daughter, Rebecca Harbowy’s parents keep their hopes up, and keep doing what they can.
Saturday marks the one month anniversary of her disappearance, after the 36-year-old Maple Ridge resident left Ridge Meadows Hospital.
Debbie Harbowy and Rebecca’s father James McCullough got some help from their neighbour and friend Craig Speirs in putting up big 4x6 foot signs along the Lougheed Highway.
One sign was just east of 240th Street, because they have learned of a possible sighting of their daughter that far east, on the same night she went missing.
“It’ll be a very sad Christmas,” said Debbie. “My family is small, just my husband, myself, and my two daughters, and now we have two grandchildren. It’s going to be a very sad time for us, at Christmas especially.”
Rebecca left the hospital at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Nov. 23. She was confused and disoriented at the time.
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The family has canvassed neighbours and searched, and found video showing her walking down River Road eastbound, near the Port Haney West Coast Express station at 1:46 a.m.
A tipster said he saw a woman matching Rebecca’s description walking on the Haney Bypass at approximately 2 a.m. that morning.
Friday afternoon police announced another video surfaced showing her on the Haney Bypass at Burnett Street at 2:05 a.m. heading eastbound.
More recently, a man came forward saying he nearly hit a woman on the Lougheed Highway, just past 240th Street, at approximately 3:30 a.m. He came upon her in the fog, and had to swerve to avoid her.
Police have cautioned the family they can’t assume it was Rebecca, but they believe the time frame makes it plausible – it would take a long time to walk that distance. And the woman was reportedly walking down the middle of the far right lane. In the earlier video on River Road, Rebecca had been walking down the middle of the lane.
Rebecca’s home is on 232nd Street, but Debbie said her confused daughter may have walked past it.
“How many females are walking at that time of night, in the middle of the road,” she asked.
Debbie wants to community to be engaged, and aware that even a small tip could be the break they need.
Her daughter Rachel Bertoia, Rebecca’s sister, has been active in social media.
“Rebecca we have not stopped fighting and searching for you, we will not stop,” she said Tuesday. “I hope you can feel all the love and light we are sending your way as we continue to search and piece together what happened to you.”
Police are seeking dashcam footage and video surveillance from the Haney Bypass and Lougheed Highway, all the way to the Mission Best Western, from 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 23.
The family is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her safe return.
Harbowy is described as a Caucasian female, 5’6” tall, 170 pounds, with brown/red hair. She was last seen wearing a grey Nike hoodie with black logo lettering on chest, black Puma sweatpants with lettering on bottom left pant leg, and black and white Nike running shoes.
The missing woman has multiple tattoos on her hands, neck, torso, and back.
If anyone has information regarding Harbowy’s whereabouts, or have seen her, they are asked to contact the Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251 and refer to file #2023-23402.
If you have information, but wish to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477.
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