Husband to missing wife
'hold tight': Pregnant mother of one:
Michael White says thank you for 'looking for Liana'
Florence Loyie
CanWest News Service
Thursday, July 14, 2005
EDMONTON - She is four months pregnant with a second child, a woman said to be quiet, friendly and always ready with a bright smile. And she has been missing -- without a trace -- for more than two days.
As an Edmonton police helicopter circled over her suburban neighbourhood yesterday, an emotional Mike White stepped from his home to thank those involved in the search for his missing wife, 29-year-old Liana White.
"Liana, hold tight," Mr. White said, fighting to maintain his composure as he stepped before television cameras.
Police are treating the disappearance as suspicious because she has never gone missing before and has never before failed to show up for work without calling.
Ms. White's first child, Ashley, is still just a toddler.
Neighbours on the winding suburban crescent where Ms. White and her husband have lived for four years are in shock.
"This is so scary. It is hard to even imagine what happened. For her to disappear like this is just so out of character," said neighbour Barb Jama, tears welling in her eyes.
As two homicide detectives looked on, Mr. White, an ex-military man and heavy duty mechanic, said he wanted to thank those involved in the massive search for his pregnant wife, who went missing on Tuesday morning about 10 blocks from her home.
"Thanks to everyone involved in looking. Thank you. Thanks for the media and their support and for making it known who she is. And to all the officers and detectives on the case, thank you. That is all I have to say at this time," Mr. White said before walking back to his home, his head down, his shoulders slumped.
Edmonton police Detective Brian Robertson placed his hand on Mr. White's shoulder to comfort him as they walked up the front steps.
Police have noted before how "very distraught" Mr. White was when he learned Ms. White's movements could not be accounted for.
The couple lives on the kind of street that shuts down for summer block parties, a place where neighbours chat at the end of the driveway -- the perfect place to raise a family.
Now the neighbourhood is being treated as a possible crime scene, with police canine units scrambling over parks and an Edmonton police helicopter hovering overhead.
Police said they are using all available resources as the search for Ms. White entered its second day. They are asking for the public's continued assistance in finding the woman.
Homicide, robbery, traffic and forensic units were brought in to help with the search.
Plainclothes surveillance units were taken off regular duty to canvass the neighbourhood. Civilian volunteers flagged down rush-hour traffic and handed out flyers with the young mother's photo, and civilian search-and-rescue teams combed the area.
Investigators checked with family, local hospitals and emergency medical services, to no avail.
"Residents are urged to check their backyards to see if there is anything unusual or out of place," said Lisa Lammi, of Edmonton police.
"Officers will also continue their door-to-door interviews asking for any information that can bring them closer to finding Liana White."
Ms. White was last seen by her husband on Tuesday at 6:15 a.m., when she left for the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where she works as a clerk in the neo-natal intensive care unit.
Ms. White's 1991 Ford Explorer was later discovered in a baseball diamond parking lot after police received a call about an abandoned vehicle on Tuesday.
The driver's door was wide open and Ms. White's purse and keys remained inside. Her wallet was missing and her identification and shoes were scattered around the parking lot. More identification was found in the northwest corner of the ballpark and her cellphone was found switched off in the grass about 15 metres from the SUV.
There were no signs of a struggle, no drag marks and no blood.
Police have received a number of tips since Ms. White's disappearance, some from passersby who say they saw the SUV abandoned in the parking as early as 5 a.m.
Others reported seeing a suspicious vehicle parked at the nearby ball diamond; police later seized the vehicle, taking it in for forensic identification processing.
Detective Ernie Schreiber said investigators are concentrating their efforts on finding Ms. White, and refused to say whether her husband is being considered a suspect in the disappearance.
On Tuesday night, the ex-military man was with police.
Ms. White is described as 5- feet-4 and about 190 pounds. She has a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair that falls halfway down her back. She is likely wearing green medical scrubs.
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=3e242b87-54e1-4d4c-bd6e-23e35dde4d8c
