Angry in the Great White North

Recall that I reported on the disappearance of 17-year-old Yee Wah Ho (Eva Ho). She was last seen on August 14, but the alert from the Toronto Police Service was issued on October 16. Not only that, the police also indicated that Eva frequented internet chatrooms.

This was an odd thing to say. I went back through previous missing persons alerts, and none in the last few weeks included any reference to the internet.

I was contacted by one of Eva's friends, and some light has been shed on this case. I've edited the email slightly to help preserve the anonymity of the person:

I'm one of her closer friends at school. She went to Harbord C.I. and so do I. She has one sister and went missing with her boyfriend and his friend. The last time anyone saw them was the day they went missing. I'm not too sure of the details, but it was either one of her friends or her mom who called the police. The police were reluctant to do anything until school began because they wanted to be sure that she really was missing--so that was about two weeks until they began investigating. They've only recently(couple of weeks ago) begun questioning students at my school about what they know and they have a feeling that it has something to do with a murder that involved a student who she and her b/f were friends with at my school(a rumor). She was supposedly spotted last weekend by a former student at my school purchasing a winter coat--but that was before any news regarding her being missing was actaully broadcast/published in the news or paper, so I believe that it's not true.

I read your article only by chance because one day I decided to search up her name to see if there were any new developments in her case. Her 'internet thing' really isn't a thing. I think that part of her description was a little incorrect: as far as I know she doesn't go on chatrooms at all -- I believe it was only listed because the people who helped write it probably didn't know what to say about her or her interests. She likes to leave her computer on to download movies and anime and while she dioes that she likes to leave her MSN on 24/7 -- the reason I found out she was missing was because I wondered why she wasn't online anymore and asked someone what happened to her. So you can tell your readers that this case has nothing to do with online predators because there are two other kids missing with her and it's supposed to be gang-related.

Interesting stuff. I checked the website for Harbord Collegiate Institute and there is no mention of Eva Ho there that I could find. Indeed, I can find no news reports in which Harbord Collegiate is mentioned in relation to this girl's disappearance.

No one seems to really care.

Including the police, or so is alleged by this person. Nothing was done until school started, allowing the trail to grow cold for over two weeks.

Why the delay? Did the police think she just ran away? According to this Chinese-language website, Eva had no serious issues at home. Indeed, the report questions the basis for the delay. According to the report, no one the police spoke with in the initial interviews was able to positively establish that Eva was in specific danger, and so the case was not a priority.

Gee, I hope that was a mistake in the mechanical translation of the report.

Also, the police alert makes no reference to the fact that she might be in the company of two boys, does not name them, nor provides pictures of them. Have they been gone for two months as well? Are they considered missing persons as well? Or persons of interest?

Canadian law forbids naming suspects in criminal cases who are under the age of 18. I wonder if the police are constrained, therefore, from mentioning any these two boys because of the role police suspect they are playing in this story. Of course, the police might also have already determined that they have nothing to with this.

But then what's all this about a murder? How does this tie in, if at all?

I'm suspicious.

Here's the PDF version of the alert, including Eva's picture.

Let's hope the police know what they are doing and that Eva is found soon.