The search for missing 17-year-old Jordan Holling continues this morning in Campbell River.
About 9 a.m. a group of concerned community members gathered at Andrew Sheret Ltd. on Maple Street to muster another ground search to supplement the work of Campbell River Search and Rescue (CRSAR) and the RCMP, as they had done the morning before.
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For the first time since the ordeal began almost a week ago, Holling’s mother, Andrea Wiley, felt strong enough to come to the gathering this morning personally and thank people for their help.
Wiley says while the community search is not directly connected with the ongoing efforts of CRSAR and the RCMP, there has been communication between the groups so that nobody gets in anyone else’s way.
“I spoke with SAR last night,” Wiley says. “It was a pretty brief conversation, but everybody’s looking – in this town and all over the Island, people are looking for my kid. It’s incredible. I can’t put into words my family’s gratitude to everyone who has come out to look or even shared a Facebook post. That means something. We have people reaching out to us with food, with rides, you name it. I haven’t had to think about it, which is great because at this point I’m not qualified to run a can opener.”
Even if you’re not a part of the official search group, Wiley says, that doesn’t mean you can’t help in their efforts.
“We’re just asking that if anyone’s out in the community who is maybe going for a walk with their family or friends just to keep their eyes peeled and to connect with Valerie McCulloch on Facebook if they see anything and post on the Facebook group so we can keep track of where people have gone to look so we’re not misusing resources, that would be great.”
McCulloch is today’s search organizer and is keeping track of where everyone is and coordinating search areas. You can also check in with her by text message at 250-830-4294.
“There’s also a substantial cash reward for the person who brings my kid to my front door,” Wiley says, adding that they are still tallying the total of that reward, but Holling’s grandmother has personally put up $1,000 and many others are chipping in, as well.
Wiley says she’s holding up as best she can, considering the circumstances.
“This is one of those things that you see in the movies and never think it will hit so close to home. Yesterday I didn’t even know what day it was,” she says, adding a message for other parents and family members of children and teenagers.
“The biggest misconception that’s out there that I learned in this situation is that you don’t have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing,” Wiley says. “If something is out of character for someone and you’re concerned, you report them missing immediately. Immediately. For the parents out there, know where your kid hangs out, know their friends and know their friend’s parents. Know the spots where your kids would go. I’ve been asked that a lot. I’m getting a lot of ‘Where would Jordan go?'”
Another misconception she’d like to clear up is that the RCMP aren’t doing their job. In fact, she has nothing but good things to say about the work being done by both the RCMP and CRSAR.
“They’re doing their job. That’s the other thing the community needs to figure out. I’ve been getting a lot of questions about ‘how come the police aren’t doing this?’ and “how come the police aren’t doing that?’ Well guess what? The watch commander has phoned me every day and they have people in there working overtime specifically on this. They’re doing their job and we’re very grateful for that.”
Holling is 5’11” with a lean build and was wearing a long-sleeved grey sweatshirt, black pants and black and red shoes at the time of his disappearance.
Anyone with information on Holling’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Campbell River RCMP at 250-286-6221 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
