Family growing more worried, frustrated as 18-year-old UBC student remains missing

The family of a missing Surrey teen is growing more concerned – and more frustrated with the lack of progress on a police investigation – as the number of days since his disappearance grows.

Joseph Maku was last seen by his younger siblings outside their home on 130 Street near 96 Avenue on Oct. 22, according to his sister Brenda Maku.

Joseph had just returned from a run and told his siblings he was going out again and would be back, Brenda said.

"After that, he never returned," she said.

An 18-year-old in his first semester of the kinesiology program at UBC, Joseph did not attend class on the day of his disappearance, Brenda said, adding that this led her to believe he wasn't going anywhere that day.

She started to become concerned, she said, shortly after her mother – who works night shifts – left to go to work that evening.

"Suddenly, it's midnight, and then that's when alarm bells started ringing," Brenda said. "That's when I was like, 'OK, no, this is actually really weird. What's going on?'"

Joseph wasn't answering his phone, and he still hasn't. By 2 a.m., Brenda had called police and reported him missing.

She said her brother's sudden disappearance is out of character.

"Joseph is always the type to, like, before he leaves, he'll tell us where he's going," Brenda said.

Surrey RCMP are investigating Joseph's disappearance. They put out a news release on Oct. 25 asking the public for help in their search, but so far, Brenda said, the family has received relatively little information about the missing teen.

She said the family received some tips after putting up posters in the early days after Joseph went missing, but there's been a decreasing amount of information coming in from both police and the public in recent days.

"It's definitely becoming more and more frustrating and difficult," she said. "I think that, as more time goes by and as we receive less information, I find myself becoming even more agitated, so much so that I can't even focus on my studies or anything. I don't even want to go to work because I feel so sick and I feel so anxious."

Brenda described her brother as outgoing and adventurous, a curious, clever and sociable young man who – at 6'5" tall – seems like he shouldn't be able to blend into a crowd or disappear without a trace.

She said her message to the community is two-fold, thanking them for the support they've shown the Maku family so far and asking that they keep Joseph's name in the public eye as much as possible.

"We have to continue to say something, because then it lets the police know that Joseph is loved by so many people and his name should not disappear," Brenda said. "We want him to come home as soon as possible."

For her brother, she had a different message.

"Joseph, I hope you know that a lot of people love you and a lot of people care for you," she said. "We're just worried about your well-being and we just want you to be safe."

Police describe Maku as a Black man with black hair and brown eyes. He stands 6'5" and weighs 200 pounds, and he was last seen wearing a black hoodie, "black North Delta Huskies basketball shorts" and black-and-white basketball shoes.

Anyone with information on Maku's whereabouts should call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file number 2024-157805, police said.