CANADA Canada - Amber Potts-Jaffary, 16, Etobicoke, Ont, 26 Nov 1988

dotr

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July 2 2017
by Cynthia Reason
https://www.insidetoronto.com/news-...een-since-confrontation-with-parents-in-1988/
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Amber Potts-Jaffary
Don Pressey’s last glimpse of his stepdaughter was of her disappearing figure as she climbed into the car of a stranger she’d flagged down on Lake Shore Boulevard West in south Etobicoke.

That was nearly 29 years ago. Amber Potts-Jaffary hasn’t been seen since.

Even all these years later, Pressey still breaks down in tears as he recalls the final moments he and his late wife, Christine Jaffary, spent with Amber.
It was approaching noon on Nov. 26, 1988, and his then-16-year-old stepdaughter had stayed out the night before to party with a group of friends. Tipped off to her whereabouts by a friend, Pressey accompanied his worried wife, whom friends and family called ‘Chris’, down to the south Etobicoke motel where Amber had crashed for the night.
“Chris rationally and calmly read Amber the riot act for about 30 minutes. In the end, she said ‘We want you with us, so if you want to come home, you’re welcome to come home. But this, what you’ve done (staying out all night), is unacceptable.’”
“As soon as she put her foot out the door, she ran. She was young and fast and agile, and I was too old and too slow to keep up,” Pressey recalled, noting that he and Jaffary pursued Amber on foot out to Lake Shore Boulevard West, calling for her to come back.

“She flagged down a passing car, he stopped and let her in, and they disappeared. I was standing 150 yards back with Chris as we watched them go. There was nothing left for us to do but walk back, get our vehicle and go home. We never saw her again.”

Making matters worse, he added, was the fact that Amber vanished in the midst of Paul Bernardo’s reign of terror as the Scarborough Rapist.

“It was a terrible crisis for us. The police were involved and Bernardo was at his peak,” Pressey said of the convicted serial killer and rapist believed to be responsible for nearly 24 rapes and attempted rapes in the GTA from 1987 to 1992.

“Amber was never found, but I secretly believe she was a (Bernardo victim). There were a number of girls, like about 10, that disappeared around that time and were never found. I believe she was one of them.”

“As a voluntary service, our goal is to ensure no families search alone. Don has a big heart and we are honoured that he accepted our assistance.”

Likewise, it was Huzyk, Pressey said, who called him up not too long ago to gently inform him that police at south Etobicoke’s 22 Division had been contacted by law enforcement officials in the U.S. when they found the remains of a woman that matched Amber’s description.

“We followed up on the leads that they gave us and, at that point, we excluded any kind of potential match between Amber and the case that they had in the States. It wasn’t her.”

Anyone with information about Amber Potts-Jaffary’s disappearance is asked to contact the 22 Division youth bureau office at 416-808-2205, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS, or submit a tip online at missingkids.ca/app/en/tip_or_sighting
 

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http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/312dfon.html


  • [*]Date Of Birth: July 27, 1972
    [*]Age at Time of Disappearance: 16 years old
    [*]Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'6"-5'7; 130 pounds
    [*]Distinguishing Characteristics: White Female. Curly brown hair; brown eyes. She is right handed.
    [*]AKA: Amber Potts-Jaffary, Amber Carrie Jaffary
    [*]Dentals: Her teeth were in good condition at the time of her disappearance.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Potts was last seen in her hometown of Etobicoke, Ontario Canada on November 26, 1988.


Potts has a history of running away from home. in the past, she's always kept in touch with people. It was later learned she was living in a hotel in Etobicoke she left, leaving behind all of her things
Police haven't ruled out foul play



Investigators
If you have any information concerning Potts' whereabouts, please contact:
Metro Toronto Police Department
416-808-8212
You may remain anonymous when submitting information to any agency.


Agency Case Number: 9400163

NCIC Number: M086886500
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.


 
Bumping for Amber.
MissingKids.ca

UPDATED 04/24/18 10:49 — Amber Potts-Jaffary was last seen on November 26th, 1988 in the area of Lakeshore Blvd West in Toronto, ON.

Amber's family is still desperately searching for answers. If you have any information regarding Amber's disappearance please visit www.missingkids.ca or call 1-866-KID-TIPS (543-8477) to report confidentially.

Amber Potts-Jaffary
Missing Youth

Description
Missing From
Etobicoke, ON
Missing Since
November 26, 1988
Date of Birth
July 27, 1972
Height
5'8"
Weight
130lbs
Hair Colour
Dark Brown
Eye Colour
Brown
If you have any information about this youth,
visit missingkids.ca or call 1-866-KID-TIPS (543-8477)
Or call Toronto Police Service at 416-808-2222
 
June 3 2019
Toronto Police Service :: News Release #43959
"Missing Persons Unit
416-808-7411
The Toronto Police Service Missing Persons Unit (MPU) became operational on July 1, 2018. The MPU is a subsection of Homicide and ensures a consistent process and investigative response for all occurrences of persons missing in Toronto, or on the way to/from the city of Toronto. This includes both newly reported and historic cases of missing persons and unidentified human remains.

The MPU frequently highlights cases involving unsolved missing persons investigations, in this instance, four cases involving missing children that are still open:"
"Amber Carrie Potts, then 16, was last heard from by her mother on November 26, 1988. She had a history of running away but always maintained contact with her mother. Her belongings were left behind in the hotel she was staying at.

She was described as white, 5'6", 130 lbs., shoulder-length brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Her case is also featured on Canada's Missing website, which is the website for the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains."
 
In the summer of 1986 four girls met in a kids placement on Jarvis st in Toronto.


They became close quickly. None of them were living stable lives and it was before the age of things like facebook and messaging to keep in touch. They mostly kept in touch through the larger circle of people they knew in the underbelly of Toronto. Sometimes one or more of them were in a group home or juvy jail so no one heard from them for a while, but they always managed to get back together.

In the late fall of 87 Amber, Ruth and Cathy were definitely in touch as they found out that their other friend Kelly Ann Kelly Mombourquette had been killed. Of the four of them Kelly was both the youngest and by far the smallest, she was tiny. well under 5 feet and about 70 pounds. If you were to look at her she could easily pass for 9 or 10 instead of 14. She was a really sweet kid with a rough life. She had been nearly decapitated and was tossed in a dumpster. A few people were arrested but they were released. there was a lot of gossip that it had to do with a guy that Kelly was meeting about drugs and money she owed for them. There were other people that said it was not true and Amber had seen her earlier that day.

Then in November of 88 Amber went missing, she was at a group of now torn down hotels on the lakeshore, she had been seen also been seen on Victoria st in the downtown area around that time with another girl none of them knew, she had mentioned planning to leave town before it got any colder. I am not sure if the girl that they ruled out was Jane doe:

Doe Network #26UFGA if it was, I wish they would confirm this as I have always thought that the picture I have added to this post reminded me of Amber. They timing and other things are right as well.

The thing that Ruth always denied was that she was the "unnamed witness" who was a 16 year old girl in Kellys trial that the judge dismissed as unreliable.

Some people said it was Kelly, some people said it was Ruth. I don't know which one of them it was. I know that it most likely wasn't Ruth.

With now just Ruth and Cathy left they stayed in touch and spoke often about it, Ruth had started to get really worried about all of it, she spoke of maybe going to Vancouver, but near the end of the summer of 89 she was no where to be found. Cathy looked for her for years, reaching out to people they both knew and no one had seen or heard from her, she was from Brampton and no one out there had seen her either.

So now here we are 30+ years down the road and all three girls are either dead or missing, no justice, no information and rarely mentioned on any news
 

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In the summer of 1986 four girls met in a kids placement on Jarvis st in Toronto.


They became close quickly. None of them were living stable lives and it was before the age of things like facebook and messaging to keep in touch. They mostly kept in touch through the larger circle of people they knew in the underbelly of Toronto. Sometimes one or more of them were in a group home or juvy jail so no one heard from them for a while, but they always managed to get back together.

In the late fall of 87 Amber, Ruth and Cathy were definitely in touch as they found out that their other friend Kelly Ann Kelly Mombourquette had been killed. Of the four of them Kelly was both the youngest and by far the smallest, she was tiny. well under 5 feet and about 70 pounds. If you were to look at her she could easily pass for 9 or 10 instead of 14. She was a really sweet kid with a rough life. She had been nearly decapitated and was tossed in a dumpster. A few people were arrested but they were released. there was a lot of gossip that it had to do with a guy that Kelly was meeting about drugs and money she owed for them. There were other people that said it was not true and Amber had seen her earlier that day.

Then in November of 88 Amber went missing, she was at a group of now torn down hotels on the lakeshore, she had been seen also been seen on Victoria st in the downtown area around that time with another girl none of them knew, she had mentioned planning to leave town before it got any colder. I am not sure if the girl that they ruled out was Jane doe:

Doe Network #26UFGA if it was, I wish they would confirm this as I have always thought that the picture I have added to this post reminded me of Amber. They timing and other things are right as well.

The thing that Ruth always denied was that she was the "unnamed witness" who was a 16 year old girl in Kellys trial that the judge dismissed as unreliable.

Some people said it was Kelly, some people said it was Ruth. I don't know which one of them it was. I know that it most likely wasn't Ruth.

With now just Ruth and Cathy left they stayed in touch and spoke often about it, Ruth had started to get really worried about all of it, she spoke of maybe going to Vancouver, but near the end of the summer of 89 she was no where to be found. Cathy looked for her for years, reaching out to people they both knew and no one had seen or heard from her, she was from Brampton and no one out there had seen her either.

So now here we are 30+ years down the road and all three girls are either dead or missing, no justice, no information and rarely mentioned on any news
Welcome to Ws StillHereToRemember, thanks for your detailed post!
 
Trying to understand her background story. Does somebody know why she has a double surname, Potts Jaffary? Or is this my misinterpretation? My guess is she wasn't married. BTW I think it's a nice costem to get both your mother's and your father's surname, like in Spain. In British tradition double names are herited. Maybe it's totally irrelevant...just wondered.
 
Must have missed this interesting article from 2019..rbbm
Artist brings Red Dress Campaign home
heather-pots-red-dress-12-jpg.jpg

Heather Potts and the public art red dress display she has installed on her front yard at her Hart Highlands home.
- Brent Braaten, Photographer
''Heather Potts is a fibre artist who knows the power of a dress. The First Nations clothing designer specializes in the colours black and red.

After the final report was released from the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Potts felt moved to create. She was already well aware of the Red Dress Campaign (also known as the REDress Project), a visual touchstone across Canada that draws attention to the issue of too many female victims of violence. As someone who works with fabrics and fashions dresses, this billowed in her mind along with the personal grief she suffers.''

''The public art expression has a mental meaning to Potts as an Indigenous elder and longtime fibre artist, but it also has a direct streak of pain that comes from her heart. Her niece Amber Potts-Jaffary was last seen in 1988 after a teenaged conflict with her parents. The Etobicoke teen flagged down a stranger for a ride, following a rebellious argument and was never again seen or heard of by her loved ones.


It happened right in the midst of a serial rapist spree in that same area that turned out to be perpetrated by Paul Bernardo. Was Potts-Jaffary one of this killer's victims?


Or, as in the case of the Highway of Tears experience, it is possible there were multiple predators at work.


"Both her father and her mother have passed on, now," said Potts. "She has been heavy in my heart. She was so young when she went missing, and it has been more than 30 years now."
 
Trying to understand her background story. Does somebody know why she has a double surname, Potts Jaffary? Or is this my misinterpretation? My guess is she wasn't married. BTW I think it's a nice costem to get both your mother's and your father's surname, like in Spain. In British tradition double names are herited. Maybe it's totally irrelevant...just wondered.

Her father was Robert (Bob) Potts, from the First Nations. Her mother was called Christine (Çhris) Jaffary. They both past, Mr. Pott in 2014, Ms. Jaffary in 2010. That explains the double name. Her mother remarried with Don Pressey, Amber's stepdad at the time she went missing. Amber was at least half indigenous, what seems relevant, so biracial Jane Does should not be ruled out.

Reposting an article Dotr posted before. MISSING: Etobicoke teen not seen since confrontation with parents in 1988
 
Her father was Robert (Bob) Potts, from the First Nations. Her mother was called Christine (Çhris) Jaffary. They both past, Mr. Pott in 2014, Ms. Jaffary in 2010. That explains the double name. Her mother remarried with Don Pressey, Amber's stepdad at the time she went missing. Amber was at least half indigenous, what seems relevant, so biracial Jane Does should not be ruled out.

Reposting an article Dotr posted before. MISSING: Etobicoke teen not seen since confrontation with parents in 1988
Thanks bit of hope and a hug to you for the loss of your dear friend.

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I think that a young girl would just disappear and disappear from view like that is quite disturbing... to say the least. Somehow, I have the feeling that Potts-Jaffary came from an impoverished and dysfunctional family, against which she frequently rebelled and eventually disappeared.... My hunch is that the girl is most likely dead, and that She was killed by a serial killer or by some unscrupulous person who knew her and had bad intentions... if you realize it. However, knowing so little about this case, I cannot draw any other conclusions...
rest in peace
 
Thursday, February 2, 2023
1697336983927.png
Amber Potts-Jaffary, who is pictured here in this undated photo, was last seen in Mimico in the Lake Shore Boulevard West area on Nov. 26, 1988. - Photo courtesy of missingkids.ca
Photo is courtesy of the Canadia

1697337053439.png
'Don Pressey’s last glimpse of his stepdaughter was of her disappearing figure as she climbed into the car of a stranger she’d flagged down on Lake Shore Boulevard West in south Etobicoke.'

“Amber was never found, but I secretly believe she was a (Bernardo victim). There were a number of girls, like about 10, that disappeared around that time and were never found. I believe she was one of them.”
 

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