In the fall of 2011, 26-year-old Emma Fillipoff had left Ontario for Victoria, to pursue her passions of art, poetry and photography while supporting herself with culinary work.
She was last seen barefoot outside the Empress Hotel on Nov. 28, 2012. Her mother Shelley Fillipoff had been en route to Victoria to see her daughter, but when she arrived Emma was gone without a trace. Emma Fillipoff would be 30 years old on January 06, 2016.
A map showing Emma’s last known whereabouts:
The CBC’s investigative program The Fifth Estate featured the details of the unsolved case in hopes of shedding light on what could have happened to Emma.
One possible person of interest is in CCTV footage from a Vancouver store. The 2014 surveillance video shows a man in a Gastown clothing store, holding a crumpled poster in his right hand. The poster was one of many distributed by Shelley offering a reward of $25,000 for Emma’s safe recovery. The store owner reported that the man was irritated and claiming Emma was his girlfriend and that she wanted to be left alone. Police have not been able to identify him.
The man is described as walking with a limp that suggests he may have a prosthetic leg and has an arm sleeve flame tattoo on both arms.
The reward poster for Emma:
Her mother has continued to hope for answers, purchasing billboards along Vancouver Island highways. There is also Help Find Emma Fillipoff Facebook page.
There have been hundreds of tips over the years and the police file remains open.
Emma’s Physical Description
– Age: 26 at time of disappearance, 30 in 2016
– Height: 5’5
– Weight: 90-110 lbs
– Eyes: Brown
– Hair: Light brown with blonde highlights and very long. It could be braided into pigtails, or up in a bun. Likes to wear knitted hats.
– Piercings: Has had ears pierced
Police continue to seek the public’s assistance. Anyone with information about Emma or the man in the Gastown CCTV video image is asked to call 250-995-7654 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
