Missing woman’s family, friends overwhelmed

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This article was published 24/10/2008 (6469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 150 volunteers are searching in and around Portage la Prairie for Amber McFarland, who has been missing since early Saturday.

“It’s pretty overwhelming right now,” Amber’s friend Krista Hodgins said outside the Portage Alliance Church, where volunteer searchers were given their marching orders from officials with the Manitoba Search and Rescue Association.

“There’s about 100 people right now and more people keep coming in,” Hodgins said.

Amber Lynn McFarland, 24, was last seen leaving a Portage night club with a former boyfriend during the early hours of Saturday.

Capt. George Leonard said the rescue association has launched a large-scale search for McFarland and will continue searching all weekend.

“We already have our guys in the field right now,” Leonard said.

“We have two 10-man teams with five canine units working right now and then were going to send out the volunteers.”

Leonard said searchers were focusing on an area southwest of the city where it’s believed Amber was last seen.

“We’re looking for clues and hopefully Amber,” Leonard said.

He said the fact that his people are very familiar with area would help in the search.

RCMP are investigating the case, but don’t have the resources to launch a search when there is no specific target area, Sgt. Line Karpish said Wednesday.

Hodgins said searchers will be looking for any clues that might lead them to Amber.

“We’d like to find Amber, but anything that can lead us to where she is, like a lipstick or bag or smokes or a cigarette lighter, y’know aything like that.”

Hodgins said the community has rallied its support behind the search for Amber, with people donating water and ladies making food for the volunteers. “Tim Horton’s has donated coffee.”

Amber’s family made an emotional plea Thursday for information from the public regarding the missing Portage la Prarie woman.

“We are pleading with you to do the right thing, to right this wrong and please let her come home safely to us, ” her mother Lori McFarland told CTV news Thursday.

“We’re very worried,” a tearful Lori McFarland said. “There’s kind of a history there… a kind of on again off again relationship.”

RCMP cordoned off the home Wednesday of McFarland’s former boyfriend.

She was reported missing hours after being seen leaving the bar Saturday with Kelly Colin Garrioch, 38.

Her car was found later that day in the same parking lot where she had left it on Friday night.

Garrioch faces an assault charge involving McFarland that is to go to trial on Nov. 18. He also faces a separate charge of failing to comply with a no contact order involving the woman.

Friends and family of the popular blonde have been frantically searching for her ever since she failed to show up for work Saturday morning at Mark’s Work Wearhouse in Portage.

RCMP were not saying much about Garrioch or McFarland other than they were treating her disappearance as a missing persons case. Officers from the major crimes unit were investigating. Police had no suspects in custody.

“We’re not in a position to confirm any arrest,” Karpish said. “It is a sure thing we will be following up and will be speaking with those who would know her, and that would include family, friends, co-workers, ex-boyfriends.”

Karpish said police have interviewed family and friends and anyone who may have had contact with her from the time she left the bar around 1 a.m. Saturday.

Asked about the former boyfriend angle, Karpish said there are definitely “some concerning circumstances around this. People just don’t vanish.”

“We’re following all and any leads that come our way. And we are counting on the public to let us know if they’ve seen her.”

Amber’s twin sister Ashley told CTV News she believes someone is withholding information from police.

“Enough is enough. It’s starting to get ridiculous and very scary and we want to know something… anything,” Ashley said.

Amber McFarland has blonde hair, green eyes, is 5-6 to 5-7 and weighs about 135 pounds. She was wearing a black sweater and blue jeans.

Anyone who knows of her activities or may have been in contact with her is asked to call Portage RCMP at 1-204-857-4445 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers.

Lori McFarland says Amber is fiesty… a fighter. She had these words for her daughter:

“You just survive and hang in there baby girl, because everybody’s pulling for you. You come home safe to us.”