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Emma Fillipoff was last seen at the Empress Hotel in Victoria Canada in between 7 and 8 p.m. on November 28, 2012. In the months and weeks leading up to her disappearance many family and friends noticed a difference in Emma’s behavior. She seemed parinoid and depressed but in more extreme ways than one would assume. This would ultimatley lead to her disappearance.
At the time she disappeared she was 26 years old, she would be about 33 now. She was 5’5″ and 90-110lbs, she had lost a lot of weight in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Emma had brown hair that was very, very long and brown eyes wtih a tan complextion.
Emma started to live a transient lifestyle, staying with friends, in hotels, or even camping. Along with this she did odd jobs now and again but she seemed to enjoy her life like this. Everyone described her as trusting and free spirited so this life seemed perfect for her. She enjoyed spending her free time at the library or hanging out with homeless people in her town as well as artists.
In the summer of 2012 Emma took control of her life a little more by becoming vegan, she stopped drinking alcohol so much, and cut out caffine. It seemed like this was an amazing step for her. But it was closely followed by odd food habbits such as only eating popcorn and limiting food; this caused her weight loss. She also began to drink very large amounts of water and some question if she could have had Polydipsia. Polydipsia is when people drink an excess amount of water which results in overhydration (too much water, not enough sodium.) This can cause diziness, fatigue, headache, and mental confusion. This disorder may be able to explain some of her odd activity right before she went missing.
Before her disappearance she had been talking to friends about maybe moving to a variety of places ranging from Mexico to Salt Spring Island.
It turns out that she had been parinoid and depressed for some time based on witness testimonies and her own writings. Her poems shown depression and a lack or something in her life. She was often found unresponsive, or just staring off into space even on streets and corners. One incident was in the shelter she was staying in at the time of her disappearance. The shelter said she was moving furniture from inside across the road because it was too ‘loud’, suggesting that the furniture was animate.
Timeline
4:30 a.m. – Emma calls her mom and says “Don’t come, Mom, not today.”
7 a.m. – Chateau Victoria grants Emma another day to move her van
8:23 a.m. – Emma seems paranoid in 7-11 while purchasing a $200 prepaid credit card
Noon – Emma visited the library
Early Afternoon – Friend sees her outside a soup kitchen and Emma states she is not feeling well/has to go
1 p.m. – Emma is seen zoned out with a lot of bags on her body walking down Pandora Street
Afternoon Sometime – Strangers report to 911 that Emma is walking back and fourth on Douglas Street (it worried them, either the way she was doing it or how long she had been doing it)
Afternoon Sometime – Stranger see’s Emma walking downtown in Victoria with an unknown older man
5:54 p.m. – Emma goes back to 7-11 looking paranoid and purchases a pre paid cell phone
6:00 p.m. – Storms out of the shelter when told that her mother was coming
6:10 p.m. – Emma gets in a taxi and asks to be brought to the airport but then states she can’t pay and just wants to sit in the cab for a bit. The cab driver states she seems paranoid and very confused when the radio goes off.
6:15 p.m. – An acquaintance of Emma saw her seemingly stranded on a corner, barefoot, and confused so he walked with her for a but until she wanted to go on her own. He is the one who called police and had them talk to her.
7:17 p.m. – Police find Emma barefoot outside the Empress Hotel and after 45 minutes decide she is not a threat to herself or others so they leave.
11 p.m. – Emma’s mom arrives in Victoria and goes to shelter to find that Emma is not there
12 a.m. – Emma was declared a missing person
Nov. 29, 2012 – Person reported seeing Emma at Lifestyle Market on Douglas street (no confirmation)
Dec. 2, 2012 – Person reports seeing Emma at Inner Harbor in Victoria. Supposedly Emma told them to remember the name Emma Fillipoff and made sure they repeated it before she left.
Dec. 5, 2012 – The prepaid card Emma bought was used to buy cigarettes by a man. The man supposedly found the card about a week before but is unsure of where he found it. Police falsely reported that he found it along the road.
May 2014 – Gastown, BC – An angry man was seen on security cameras ripping Emma’s missing persons poster off the wall and then stating he was her boyfriend (which he was not) then he said Emma just wanted to be left alone (this seems to bring the idea that he knows where she is and she is alive, both of these are unknown) (below are security pictures of the man who did this)
November 2018– A man named William came forward stating he had seen Emma and given her a ride the morning after she disappeaered. “The man told Fillipoff that Emma was barefoot and drenched, as if she had been walking all night in the rain. William, whose last name was not provided, offered to give her a ride. Emma calmed down and asked to be driven to a friend’s place in Colwood. She didn’t mention her friend’s name or address. William didn’t have time to take her to Colwood, so he dropped her off at 5:15 a.m. near the Petro Canada gas station at the corner of Admirals and Craigflower roads.” (timescolonist.com)
Evidence
Really the only evidence available to police was her Red Mazda Van that was found in the Chateau Victoria parking lot and contained pretty much all of her belonings. This is where emma had planned to live before she went to the shelter which would explain it holding much of her stuff.
Theories
The Theories in this case coincide with many other cases I have covered. There are no definite leads in this one and really no evidence of where she went or what time she actually disappeared due to possible sightings. There is the theory that she kept traveling and living a transient lifestyle as she had been but just simply cut off contact. No one really knows why she would just cut off contact with her friends and family. However, some believe that because her brother was a drug dealer that could have something to do with it.
There is always the idea of foul play in these unsolved disappearances. There is really no evidence that Emma was kidnapped but there is also no evidence countering that she wasn’t kidnapped. If she had been taken then it is more than likely she is not living anymore. 48 hours is crucial after a disappearance because generally if someone is kidnapped this is the time it takes for the kidnapper to kill them. If somehow she was taken and is still alive today then she has probably been living a nightmare for the last seven years and is really hoping for help.
A major theory within this case is that mental illness took over Emma’s life. In the months and days leading up to her disappearance. Many friends and those who worked at the shelter reported her with schizophrenic behavior (talking about the furniture making too much noise, etc.) She also wrote poems while in Victoria and although professionals state there was no suicide tells in there, there is evidence of depression. In her last few days many saw and reported increasingly odd behavior. Such as the reports of her being unresponsive on streets, pacing for hours, checking over her shoulder for something all of the time, and walking barefoot outside in the rain. It seems that either she had something in her system such as drugs or alcohol or she was slowly becoming psychotic and needed help she was not getting. This theory could point to her committing suicide due to believing someone was after her. It could also suggest that maybe she wandered off in her confused state and succumb to the elements eventually and her body has just never been found. In my opinion this could also connect to the first theory of her leaving Victoria and cutting off contact. Maybe she felt she had to start a new life and is now some where else and still suffering from a mental illness.
It is possible that none of these hold the truth to what happened to Emma Fillipoff or point to where she is today. All we can hope for is that new clues are found within the case and new leads are followed.
If you know anything at all about where Emma is or the case in general please contact the Victoria Police Department at 250-995-7654 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. The family would appreciate any information on Emma Fillipoff.
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Thank you for reading this post on Emma Fillipoff’s Disappearance, we will see you again on Tuesday at 5p.m. Central Time with more unsolved cases.
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