Abbotsford family pleads for answers on 5-year anniversary of daughter's disappearance
An Abbotsford family is renewing their plea for help to find their missing daughter on the five-year anniversary of her disappearance.
Kristina Ward was last seen in Surrey on Sept. 27, 2017, walking with a man that police have never been able to identify.
Surveillance video taken near 144th Street and 104th Avenue sometime between 7:50 and 8:45 p.m. shows the then 20-year-old walking behind a man with a bike.
Police hope someone will be able to identify him.
“Police encourage everyone to view the video. Unfortunately, it is taken from quite a distance, however you may be familiar with the gait or mannerisms of the male walking with Kristina,” said RCMP in a news release two years after her disappearance.
Her mother, Lee Anne Ward, said her daughter had plans to meet up with some friends in Langley the day she vanished.
“It's painful to keep on going on and not knowing anything,” Lee Anne said.
It’s unclear how she ended up in Surrey and her phone and bank account have had no activity since then.
“Investigators have received several ‘tips’ relating to Kristina but unfortunately, none have proven fruitful,” said Cpl. Holly Largy, of Langley RCMP in a news release.
Art Ward, Kristina's father, also said they've received many "phony tips."
“That gets our hopes up a little bit and then we’re shot down. But somebody knows where Kristina is,” he said.
Kristina is now 25-years-old, but has the mental capacity of someone far younger.
She is described as Indigenous, 5'5", 130 pounds, with curly brown hair, and brown eyes.
Her mother told CTV News back in 2019 she believes her daughter was misled and was abducted.
She and other loved ones are hosting their second annual walk through the area Ward was last seen on Tuesday morning.
“The good Lord gives us hope. It says on my hat, God is good all the time. Doesn't let us down. He prolongs things, but doesn’t let us down," Kristina's father said.
The family is hoping to spark people’s memories and get more information about what happened to her.
“We are pleading to the public for tips to bring closure to the family and to bring Kristina back home, as she has a five-month old niece named after her, waiting at home to meet her auntie,” said Lee Anne Ward in a statement released by RCMP.
Baby Kristina’s mother, Jessica, was overcome with emotion during Tuesday’s walk.
She made a sign for her stroller reading “Please help find my Auntie Kristina Ward” covered with small pink hand prints.
She told CTV News Vancouver she believes the two Kristinas would be best friends.
“I know she’d be a good auntie,” she said.
Jessica spent 10 years on the Downtown Eastside, but has since been reunited with her family.
The Wards hope they’ll be able to have the same homecoming with their other daughter.
Kristina’s name has been added to the database list of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Anyone with information that might assist in locating Ward is asked to call Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200.
Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.