Finding Emma Fillipoff

‘’Je m’appelle Emma

Et je ne sais pas

Si jamais cœur aima

Aussi fort que moi’’

In French, the name Emma sounds like the past simple form of the verb ‘aimer’ which means to love. It is beautiful, light and whimsical; exactly like Emma Fillipoff.

Emma was last seen in Victoria, British Columbia, on November 28, 2012, in front of the Empress hotel.

She was talking to two police officers who had been dispatched after an acquaintance called 911 because he was worried about her mental state after spotting her hesitantly standing at a street corner clutching her shoes and looking paranoid.

After walking with her, he realized that something was off and went to a nearby café to call for help.

What happened next has been reported countless times in newspapers, blogs, TV news, reports and shows.

After allegedly talking to Emma for 45 minutes, the two cops were satisfied that she was no danger to herself or others, and moved on to other pressing matters.

She was never seen again.

The website www.helpfindemmafillipoff.com contains all the details of her disappearance and ongoing search.

Writing this blog might not bring any new details to the search, but it is an opportunity to underline some points that, in my opinion, were over or under-emphasized throughout the investigation. An effort to keep her memory and case on the forefront and another bread crumb on the trail leading to Emma. 

Many people disappear, but this case of the vanishing maiden is, to say the least, puzzling.

Emma

Emma was born on January 6, 1986, near Perth, Ontario. Her family consisted of 2 brothers, 1 sister, a mom who was a popular teacher and a father who was a part time artist.

She was described by her mother as shy, quietly happy and content with a cascading laughter.

Contrary to her athletic siblings, she excelled in the arts and chose dancing instead of sports; there was never one competitive bone in her body.

From a very young age, she had a smile that moved mountains and the heart and sensibility of a poet, which could be light and charming on the outside, but very secretive and even sad on the inside. She made a habit of keeping all her cards close to the vest.

Her parents’ divorce was not only painful, but became a hardship because her mom, Shelley, literally lost it, and would not accept that her husband had left her for a younger woman. She suffered a mental breakdown that lasted three years, and even attacked her ex with a knife. Sadly, Emma was the one who had to call the cops on her mother.

In the midst of the divorce, her father confided in Emma and she felt compelled to support him, which caused lasting friction with her mother.

Emma was a listener, but felt that nobody was there for her, which probably was because her secret nature did not allow others to penetrate her shell easily.

Always the free spirit, she left home at 16 to live with a friend’s family because she would not accept curfews and rules.

When she realized that her friend’s mother also had rules, she moved out and lived with a platonic boyfriend who was 10 years older than she was.

After quitting regular school, she attended a special program where she excelled. Her good grades allowed her to get grants to study culinary arts in Campbell River and to attend photojournalism school in Ontario.

She spent a short time teaching English in China and went to live in Nova Scotia for a while to be with her sister.

It was the beginning of her adventures. She was eager to see the world and to leave Lanark County behind.

She loved her family, and was close to her little brother she helped raise and care for, but she needed to spread her wings and fly. 

This article has been copied and archived on Help Find Emma Fillipoff to allow for social media sharing to help combat Meta's news ban in Canada. Help Find Emma Fillipoff links to this article cannot be blocked. We welcome you to share these links in the spirit of a free press and with all due consideration and respect to the original article authors.

Full article: http://thetroublewithjustice.com/2017/07/23/the-ballad-of-emma/