Regional District Fraser Fort George employees are rallying around a co-worker – the uncle of a missing young Vanderhoof woman.
They have already raised money through office donations to help fund the search for Madison Scott, 20, who went missing May 28.
Susan McMullin works with Murray Scott, Madison’s uncle. McMullin and office manager Donna Munt came up with several fundraising ideas including bottle collections.
“(Murray) came in to work for a couple of days when Madison went missing,” said McMullin. “But it was hard. You could just see on his face how much all this was affecting him. Now he’s there (in Vanderhoof) helping out with the family’s search for Madison.”
He joins many others, including Madison’s parents Dawn and Eldon Scott, who are all involved in the exhaustive search effort. Madison was last seen around 3 a.m. on May 28 while camping at Hogsback Lake, about 25 kilometres south of Vanderhoof.
RCMP found her tent and truck the next day but Madison had disappeared. More than 14 police officers have been assigned to the case. They are actively investigating and looking for information, clues and tips from the public.
The regional office’s staff members are helping to raise money for the Madison Scott Search Fund with a garage sale on Saturday June 18.
Although thankfully she’s never had to endure that kind of loss, McMullin feels sure most people will understand why she and other staffers want to offer their support to the family in any way they can.
“Everyone at one time or another has been babysitting, watching siblings or had it happen to a friend’s or their own children.
“They look away for an instant and suddenly the child is gone. I know that feeling. It happened to me with my five-year-old son.”
McMullin was living in a townhouse complex at the time.
“We looked everywhere. We couldn’t find him for 45 minutes because he’d gotten into a yard with a high fence, so we couldn’t see him. I was panic-stricken.”
Her heart goes out to Madison’s family, she said.
“Living with that panic 24 hours a day, for me that would be unbearable.”
The garage sale was held at the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George parking lot at 155 George St. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Search efforts can be followed on the family’s website at www.madisonscott.ca.
Madison Scott is described as a 20-year-old Caucasian, five feet, four inches tall, 170 lbs. with ginger coloured hair. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and blue jean capri pants. The RCMP are requesting the public’s assistance in finding Scott.
Anyone who may have seen Madison or knows of her whereabouts should contact the Vanderhoof RCMP detachment at 250-567-2222.