Nanaimo Daily News - May 5, 2007

Summary

Nanaimo Daily News: Sat May 5, 2007 (Walter Cordery) "Birthday wishes for missing girl"

source: https://www.newspapers.com/image/325904898

clip: https://lisamarieyoung.ca/n/ndn20070505

[Reproduced under Copyright Act (Canada) s.29.2 - Fair Dealing for the purpose of news reporting]

Birthday wishes for missing girl

GONE: Lisa Marie Young's family still hopes she is alive

Lisa Marie Young turns 26 today. At least that's what her mother desperately wants to believe. Her daughter mysteriously vanished during the 2002 Canada Day long weekend "and not a single day has gone by since that I haven't thought about her, or what could have happened to her," said Joanne Young. It is impossible for the distraught mother to turn the page and believe Lisa Marie is a closed chapter in her life. "I still seem to be living in the same day when we learned Lisa Marie had gone missing," said Young. Giving up hope of never seeing her daughter again or not learning of her fate is not an option she cares to consider. "I'm still hopeful. We always keep our name and telephone number on the posters we circulate just in case somebody knows what happened to her and will contact us." She admits to having little time for those who tell her perhaps Lisa Marie just wanted to take off. "They really don't know anything about my daughter or what was going on in her life," said Young. "She was all set to move into a new apartment the next day and she was about to start a new job." Lisa Marie was last seen leaving a downtown nightclub in a vehicle in the early hours of June 29, 2002. When she did not come home on the Sunday or the holiday Monday, the police were called. The experiencing of not knowing what happened to her child has made Young explore spirituality and be more open with her other family members. "People have told me to stop living in the past and to get on with my life but how can I?," she said. "Lisa Marie was a big part of my life and all I have of her now are my memories." Though she doesn't fault them for not finding her daughter, the RCMP have made her feel a little angry for trying to convince her not to pursue other means of discovering what happened to Lisa Marie. "I had wanted to hire a private investigator but the police dissuaded me from that saying that he would only be retracing the work they had already done," said Young. She said there are heart-stopping moments when she thinks she recognizes Lisa Marie walking down the street. Lisa Marie is considered a missing person and the police have said they suspect foul play. The investigation remains open. Regardless of the outcome, Young said she wants to find out what happened to her daughter. "The worst thing is not knowing."

[image caption:] Lisa Marie Young went missing during the 2002 Canada Day weekend.

Lisa Marie's memory kept alive Family, friends hold vigil for woman, missing since 2002 By Krista Charke Lisa Marie Young has been missing for four years, but her spirit still lives strong in the hearts of her family friends and the community she grew up in. "It still feels like the same day that she went missing," said Young's mother Joanne, while she set up a picnic in her daughter's honour at Maffeo-Sutton Park on Saturday. "I think I'll always be stuck in that day." Young disappeared on the Canada Day weekend in 2002 and police have said they believe she met with foul play, but leads haven't led to an arrest. Just 21, the bubbly, brown-eyed brunette was at the point where she was thinking about cooling her heels from partying and thinking about settling down and buying a house. One of Lisa Marie's best friends, Becky Fraik, said Young was ready to get out of bartending and move on with her life — but she never got the chance. Fraik and Young met in a foster home when they were 16 and bonded instantly "There were three of us, Caroline, Lisa and me. We all took care of each other, it was like we were sisters," said Fraik, wearing a T-shirt, made by Joanne, with Lisa's picture on it. "She was always there for her friends. I was very shy and she would always get me out doing things. She always had something going on." Fraik said she still misses her best friend a great deal. Especially the endless hours they would spend hours rollerblading the Harbourfront Walkway or walking through Maffeo-Sutton Park talking about everything best friends talk about. To keep her memory alive. Fraik's eight-month-old daughter Ember Marisa, was named by combining Lisa Marie to form her middle name. Fraik also keeps a teddy bear Young gave her one Christmas over her daughter's crib. They are just little reminders, but it doesn't take much to remember someone who brought so much love, energy and happiness into her life Young's family and friends know there is someone out there that knows something about her disappearance and still live with the hope every day that person will come forward with information to give them some type of closure.

[photo caption:] Becky Fraik, with daughter Ember Marisa, still misses her best friend Lisa Marie Young, who disappeared in 2002.