Brantford, Ont., mom missing for days found safe after relentless search, police say no foul play
The Brantford, Ont., mother who disappeared for five days after leaving her funeral home job in Woodstock has been found and is now safe at home with her family, police say.
Friends and family had relentlessly to tried to find Eugenia (Jenny) Da Silva, 44, including by setting up Facebook pages to help in the search. She went missing last Friday.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the Brantford Police Service said the woman it only referred to as "Eugenia (Jenny)" had been located "and is safe in the company of family."
Police "do not have any concern of foul play and there's no concern for public safety as a result of this missing-person investigation," the statement on the police service's website says.
"Out of respect for the privacy of the family, no further details will be released."
Before Da Silva was located, several canvassing events were organized, set to go on Thursday, in Hamilton, St. Catharines, London, Haldimand-Norfolk, Brantford and Cambridge, but they've since been cancelled.
Family expressed worry
Family and friends expressed concern about her disappearance leading up to her being found.
Carla Cassone, Da Silva's cousin, said her family was deeply worried for her well-being.
"Jenny is loved by us all. She's got a fun and bubbly personality, and she's super kind. She's constantly seeing the best out of people. She is a very loving mother. Her daughters adore her. She's married with her husband — like, she's got a great foundation."
While Da Silva was missing, Sheldon Arruda, a close friend of the family, helped organize a volunteer group to take part in search-and-rescue efforts.
He said they set up 13 different search zones spanning from London to Hamilton to Waterloo region, hoping to find Da Silva or her car.
Arruda said a close group of friends and colleagues started a Facebook group on Tuesday to help spread awareness about the disappearance. The group grew by 4,500 members in just 24 hours.
Arruda said a lot of support outside of the Facebook group was pouring in.
"If you look at how many volunteers have formally volunteered to join us [on Thursday morning], we're well over 100, approaching 150. We've also had a lot of people who said that they can't join us tomorrow, and that's completely OK. But, moving forward, whether it's their daily commute, running errands — their eyes are open and they're paying attention."
