The family of missing Surrey man Bernie Grempel is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to his safe return.
Ettie Shurack says her brother, 28, was last seen May 14 at the 22nd Street SkyTrain station in New Westminster, and used a bus card to board the 340 to Scottsdale exchange in Surrey just before 11 p.m. that Friday night. Investigators say it’s unknown where Bernard disembarked the bus.
A couple of hours earlier, at 8:44 p.m., he was at a 7-Eleven store in Guildford, not far from where he lives, in the 10000-block of 150th Street.
“Together with friends and strangers, we have been searching for my brother day and night, 24/7,” Shurack posted on gofundme.com.
“We have distributed 1,000s of posters throughout the entire Lower Mainland of Greater Vancouver and have been posting on a variety of social media platforms. We are offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to Bernard’s return. In addition to the police efforts, we hired a private investigator to help us expand the search. We have discovered that there are numerous costs involved in the search efforts, and are most grateful for your contributions.”
So far more than $6,000 has been raised in the online fundraiser, with a goal of $30,000.
Grempel is white, six feet tall, 160 pounds and has curly brown hair and brown eyes. He wearing a black hooded jacket, red sweater and black Nike shoes.
Shurack says her brother “is a wonderful, kind, and caring person and a real family guy.
“He is a great son to my parents, an awesome brother to me, a doting uncle to my children, and a loyal friend to his buddies. We are really worried about Bernard, we really miss him.”
Shurack said her brother was a competitive swimmer with North Delta Sunfish swim club for more than a decade, and later coached younger athletes with the organization.
When Surrey RCMP first appealed for public help to locate Grempel, Corporal Vanessa Munn said he is “apprehend-able” under the Mental Health Act.
Anyone with information about Grempel’s whereabouts is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter
