RCMP cordon off home of missing woman’s boyfriend

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This article was published 24/10/2008 (6478 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE — RCMP cordoned off the home Wednesday of the boyfriend of a woman who was last seen leaving a southern Manitoba nightclub early Saturday morning.

Amber Lynn McFarland, 24, was reported missing after she was seen leaving a bar in Portage la Prairie 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. Her employer said McFarland failed to show up for work at a clothing store.

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.

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,” RCMP Sgt. Line 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.”

RCMP have sent out the serious crimes unit to Portage to “cover more ground,” Karpish said, adding that while there may be a search being organized in Portage, it’s not an RCMP search.

“We need a definite area to look at — we need a point of interest. We just don’t have that right now.”

Portage RCMP Sgt. Bob McCarville told CTV news: “At this point, it’s strictly a missing person investigation and that’s where the investigation is focused.”

About 30 family and friends were searching for the woman Wednesday, distributing posters in the town west of Winnipeg and walking around a river diversion near the Dakota Tipi reserve.

“We have no answers,” said Amy Duclos, one of McFarland’s friends who took part in the search. “We’re just here to help.”

Another friend, Jamie Penman, said she saw McFarland at the bar on the night before she went missing and noticed that she appeared to be in a good mood.

She said that it was out of character for her friend to disappear without telling someone.

“We’ll keep searching until the day she is found,” she said. “There is something wrong.”

“We need any and all information on her whereabouts,” added friend and co-worker Kristi Barnes-Skarbeck.

“Posters have been going up since Monday,” Barnes-Skarbeck said, “and some friends are trying to search on their own and we’ve contacted Manitoba Search and Rescue to get something going.”

Earlier in the day, Krista Hodgins and her three friends were out at the Portage diversion near the Dakota-Tipi reserve.

“People are out just doing whatever they can'” Hodgins said, noting that more than two dozen were out driving around, and had been for several days.

“We’ve been searching this area around here since 11.”

Asked why they were in that particular area, one of Hodgin’s friends tilted his head towards town and said “Because that’s where he is.” He was referring to the former boyfriend who Amber was last seen with at 1 a.m. Saturday.

Another friend and co-worker, Danielle Bartsch told CBC Radio she knew something was wrong when Amber didn’t show up for work Saturday morning,

“She never misses work,” Bartsch said. “I have no idea what happened.”

Amber’s car was found in the Canad Inns parking lot where she had parked it Friday night.

Another friend, Tanis Desjardin, told a local TV station she last saw Amber at the Cat and Fiddle bar and had words with her over an old boyfriend.

“It’s just not like Amber to do this. I hope they find her soon because everyone’s worried.”

Hodgins has been good friends with Amber for more than five years. She said Amber has a twin sister and a younger sister. Amber had just been promoted to assistant manager at Mark’s Work Wearhouse. “She would never have not shown up for work.”

“Today is the fifth day she’s been missing,” Hodgins said. “It’s pretty traumatic.”

Bartsch urged members of the public to help find Amber.

“We need help from anybody. Even if you’re a stranger, please come out and help us.”

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 at 1-800-222-TIPS.