‘People just don’t disappear:’ Family asks for help to find woman missing a year

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WINNIPEG — The daughter of a woman who disappeared a year ago is asking anyone with information to come forward and give the family closure.

Thelma Krull, 57, went for a walk in her Winnipeg neighbourhood last July 11 and hasn’t been seen since.

“A whole year has passed and we still have no idea what happened or why,” her daughter, Lisa Besser, said at a police news conference Monday. “It’s extremely hard not knowing — not knowing if she’s coming home again or never again, not knowing if she’ll be at another birthday party, Christmas, family event.”

Someone out there has to know something, Besser said.

“There has been no closure for our family, only wonder, confusion and anger,” she said. “People don’t just disappear … We just want answers.”

Police say they believe Krull walked to a nearby park where she “experienced some type of distress.” Sgt. Wes Rommel said the evidence suggests Krull either had a medical emergency or was abducted by a stranger.

He said investigators have searched the area extensively, but have only recovered Krull’s glasses and cellphone.

“If your glasses have fallen off, something has happened,” Rommel said. “You could have fallen down on your own, hit your head. That may have happened, but you also could have been approached or had an encounter with somebody else.

“The fact that her glasses remain, as well as the cellphone, is one of the pieces that we have to indicate distress.”

If Krull was abducted, police believe it was random and not premeditated, Rommel said.

On Monday, police released surveillance photos of a woman dressed in a purple tank top, white hat, sunglasses, blue pants and white sneakers, saying she was walking in the area at the time and might have seen something.

On Tuesday, they identified the woman but said she didn’t have any information that would help their investigation.

Police are still looking for a man and woman in their 30s who were in the area as well.

They aren’t necessarily suspects but rather potential witnesses, Rommel said.

“There is a piece of information out there,” he said. “Sometimes, people think it’s insignificant … but something extremely subtle can help us understand who was where, when and what time, what was heard and wasn’t heard. All of those details are very important.”

A vigil was held Monday night to mark Krull’s disappearance, with friends and family wearing purple, the same colour as the streak in Krull’s otherwise light hair, and releasing balloons.

“It’s one of the beautiful things about Winnipeg,” said Connie Muscat, a friend of Krull’s. “People are so supportive and caring and loving.”

Krull’s husband, Bob, had spoken briefly at the news conference earlier in the day, thanking the community for its support.

“The only thing I want to say is please someone help us bring Thelma home.”

— By Chinta Puxley in Edmonton, with files from CTV Winnipeg and CJOB

The Canadian Press

©2016 The Canadian Press