Eugenia (Jenny) Da Silva, a mother from Brantford, Ont., who vanished for five days after leaving her job at a funeral home in Woodstock, has been found safe and is now home with her family, according to the police.
Her disappearance last Friday sparked relentless search efforts by friends and family, who set up Facebook pages to aid in locating her.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Brantford Police Service announced that Eugenia (Jenny) had been found and was safe with her family. The police stated they had no concerns of foul play and no public safety issues related to the missing-person investigation.
“Out of respect for the privacy of the family, no further details will be released,” the statement on the police service’s website reads.
Before she was found, several canvassing events were organized for Thursday in Hamilton, St. Catharines, London, Haldimand-Norfolk, Brantford, and Cambridge. These events have now been canceled.
Family Expressed Worry
Family and friends were deeply concerned about Da Silva’s disappearance. Carla Cassone, Da Silva’s cousin, shared their worries, emphasizing Jenny’s kind and loving nature.
“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.”
During Da Silva’s absence, Sheldon Arruda, a close family friend, organized a volunteer search-and-rescue effort. They established 13 search zones from London to Hamilton to the Waterloo region, hoping to find Da Silva or her car.
Arruda noted that a Facebook group created on Tuesday to raise awareness about the disappearance quickly grew to 4,500 members in just 24 hours. Support also poured in from outside the Facebook group.
“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,” Arruda said.