Community gathers for 'search party' to support family of missing Surrey teen

Dozens of people gathered in Surrey's Holland Park on Saturday to show their support for the family of missing 18-year-old Joseph Maku.

Advertised online as a "search party," the gathering began with elements of a vigil. Community members stood holding missing person posters as members of the Maku family addressed the crowd, thanking them for their presence.

A student in his first year at UBC, Maku was last seen leaving his family home on 130 Street near 96 Avenue on Oct. 22.

His sister Brenda told CTV News earlier this month that Joseph had just come back from a run, and told his younger siblings that he was going out again and would be back.

He never returned, and Brenda reported him missing in the early hours of Oct. 23.

At Saturday's gathering, Joseph's mother Rose Juan held back tears as she described raising five children as a single mother. Joseph's father died from cancer when he was just two years old, she said.

As she grew more emotional, she addressed Joseph directly.

"I hope Joseph sees me and he listens to me," she said. "Joseph, come back home. I miss you so much."

Surrey RCMP are investigating the case. They issued an initial appeal to the public for information on Oct. 25, and renewed their appeal with more details on Friday.

In their update, police revealed that Joseph had boarded eight transit buses in Surrey and North Delta in a less-than-three-hour span on the day of his disappearance.

The first bus boarding occurred at 3:48 p.m. at King George SkyTrain Station, and the last occurred at 6:26 p.m. on Scott Road at 93A Avenue, according to police.

• Read more: 8 buses in under 3 hours: Surrey RCMP share details of missing teen's transit use in latest appeal 

After gathering in the park, attendees split up to distribute missing person posters and search the areas where Joseph had taken transit on Oct. 22.

"We're hoping today we can find some sort of clues that let us know where Joseph is," Brenda said.

She noted that the last bus he boarded was Route 319, bound for Newton Exchange.

"Unfortunately, based on what the constable has told us, they weren't able to find any sort of CCTV footage from when he got on the bus all the way until the end of the route."

Brenda said Joseph's disappearance is out of character, as he typically always told his family where he was going before he left the house.

"Hopefully, someone has seen him somewhere," she said. "He's 6'5" and he's just about 200 pounds. He's hard to miss."

Police describe Joseph as a Black man with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with the letters "GAP" on the front, "black North Delta Huskies basketball shorts" and black-and-white basketball shoes with a "reverse swoosh symbol."

Anyone who has information on his whereabouts should call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 2024-157805, police said.