The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) has received dozens of calls from people reporting they have seen missing woman Erica Schmidt, but none have been corroborated since the day she walked away from her home.
Const. Ian MacDonald said police continue to follow up on every lead, but the only ones they have been able to verify occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 5.
Schmidt, who suffers from depression, left her Timberlane Drive home that morning between 8:30 and 10:30. Police later received reports that Schmidt, 59, had been spotted in the 2400 block of McCallum Road – near the Five Corners intersection – at about 3:15 that afternoon.
Video surveillance obtained from a local business confirmed that Schmidt had been in the area. She was wearing a light-blue jacket, a long dark skirt, and flat shoes, and was carrying a large black purse.
Tips have continued to come in from as far away as Manning Park and Victoria, but MacDonald said none have panned out.
Search and rescue teams spent days combing brush, park and mountain areas of Abbotsford to no avail.
The active search has since ended, and MacDonald said police need to have a recent sighting that can be corroborated in order for a search to be deployed again.
Dozens of Schmidt's family members and friends have plastered the city with "missing person" posters, and a Facebook page – "Help Find Erica!" – continues to post updates, including from Schmidt's husband, Henry.
Many posts have expressed frustration and despair that Schmidt has not yet been found.
"Her face is literally all over the city! Where is Erica?" Henry posted on Friday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the APD at 604-859-5225.