VANCOUVER -- Police in Victoria are hoping that newly released photos can help solve an eight-year-old mystery.
Eight years ago Saturday, on Nov. 28, 2012, Victoria police officers were called about a woman "acting oddly" in front of the Empress Hotel, police said in a news release this week.
They responded and found Emma Fillipoff. Officers spoke with her "at length" and, convinced of her well-being, allowed her to continue on her way, police said.
A few hours later, she was reported missing. She has not been heard from or seen since.
On Friday, police released several new photos of Fillipoff, hoping that they will lead to additional information that allows them to resolve their ongoing investigation.
"There has been an extensive investigation into Emma’s disappearance ever since, but so far investigators have been unsuccessful in determining what may have happened to Emma," police said in their release.
They added that investigators have received hundreds of tips about the case from across Canada, "but none have proven to be confirmed sightings of Emma."
Fillipoff's mother, Shelley Fillipoff, told CTV News Vancouver Island she believes her daughter has probably left Vancouver Island.
"If I knew she was still on the Island, I would be in Victoria now instead of sitting at home near Ottawa," she said. "I don't think it's reasonable to think she's still on the Island because surely someone would recognize her or come forward."
She said it's "staggering" to think that it's been eight years since her daughter went missing.
"I remember thinking that a month was unbelievable and then thinking that six months wasn't possible," Shelley Fillipoff said.
She said she hopes renewed interest in the case on the eight-year anniversary of Emma's disappearance will lead to new information, whether good or bad, about what happened to her daughter.
Anyone who sees Emma Fillipoff or has information about where she may be should call the Victoria Police Department's non-emergency line at 250-995-7654, or call their local police. Tips can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
