'Disappeared without a trace': Kitchener family pleads for help after daughter goes missing in B.C.
Jaqueline McDermott, 22, from Kitchener has been reported missing in B.C., and her family is putting out a plea across the country for help.
“We want to make sure that we are amplifying this message beyond just B.C. because I’m worried that she’s not there anymore,” said Nathalie St-Maurice, Jaqueline’s mother.
McDermott was last seen by her vehicle after attending a meditation retreat.
RCMP said her vehicle was found, but she was not in it or near it.
“A little while later, her vehicle appears to be broken down along Highway 97C between Merritt and Logan Lake,” said Cpl. Madonna Saunderson with media relations for RCMP.
St-Maurice said her daughter left in the spring of 2022 with the dream of exploring Canada while living in her van that she outfitted to be like a tiny home.
“She has a little bed in there, and she has a little kitchenette in there. Only thing she doesn’t have in there is a toilet,” said St-Maurice.
Her mother said she had plans to meet with friends in the coming days and weeks, but no one has heard from her.
She said it is not like her to cancel on her friends without notice.
In a news release, RCMP described McDermott as a Caucasian female, who is 5-foot-7 and 111 pounds. She has curly blond hair, a fair complexion with a medium build and a pierced nose.
Missing Poster for Jaqui McDermott (Submitted/Nathalie St-Maurice)
St-Maurice said she hasn’t been able to sleep much since she’s been missing. Her family is having a hard time making sense of it.
“Every time you close your eyes, you go down a rabbit hole that you don’t want to go down,” she said. “Basically disappeared without a trace. It’s unbelievable. It’s crazy.”
Her mother said McDermott is a free spirit and artist.
“She’s a nature lover, she’s a vegan, she’s an animal lover, she’s an animal rights activist,” said St-Maurice. “She is loved by so many people. The outpouring of support has been overwhelming.”
RCMP said the search will continue.
“The investigation will remain open and active until we find Jaqueline or find out what happened,” said Saunderson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.