An Abbotsford mom and dad are appealing for information following the disappearance of their 41-year-old daughter in Peru.
Kathleen and Alexander Kasatkin spoke at a press conference Wednesday morning at the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), saying they have received little information about their daughter Kimberlee Kasatkin, with whom they last had contact on Nov. 26, 2016.
Her disappearance is part of an investigation that includes agencies such as Interpol.
“A lot of it is the language barrier. We just don’t seem to be getting any information from out of Peru at all. We can’t just phone there and ask questions, and it’s very frustrating not knowing anything. We don’t really know anything more now than we did a month ago,” Kathleen said.
Const. Ian MacDonald emphasized that the APD is not conducting the investigation into Kimberlee’s disappearance.
“We are lending support to citizens who live in our community and trying to find answers about a 41-year-old mother who was a Fraser Valley resident, and we are trying to support the family in any way we can,” he said.
Kimberlee lives in Lima, Peru with her common-law husband Christopher, who is from Peru, and two children – a six-year-old boy and three-year-old daughter.
The couple met in Victoria, where Kimberlee was attending school, and moved to Peru more than three years ago.
Kimberlee travelled to Abbotsford once or twice a year, for a few weeks at a time, and would then return to her spouse and kids.
Kathleen said the last contact her family had with her was on the evening of Nov. 26, when Kimberlee had a FaceTime (video conversation) call with two of her sisters.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Kathleen said.
MacDonald said Christopher has indicated to the family that the last time he saw Kimberlee was also on the evening of Nov. 26.
Kathleen said the family continues to have regular contact with Christopher, and she described their relationship with him as “very amicable.”
She said trying to find answers has been frustrating for the couple, so they are planning to travel to Lima soon to talk to authorities in person, as well as to friends of Kimberlee.
Meanwhile, MacDonald said the APD is appealing for anyone who has had contact with the missing woman to let them know.
He said she has “tons of friends,” including in Langley and Victoria.
“We think that it’s quite possible that she had contact with her friends in November and maybe still continues to have contact with those friends that just have not, at this point, become aware that she’s missing,” MacDonald said.
Kathleen said she and her husband are both involved with the local search-and-rescue team, but trying to track down for their missing daughter is “unfamiliar territory.”
“(We’re) not quite sure what to be doing, so we’re just appealing for help,” she said.
Anyone with information about Kimberlee is asked to call the APD at 604-859-5225 or text abbypd (222973).
Photo below: Kimberlee Kasatkin is pictured with her two children and common-law husband Christopher.
