It is a tough Christmas season for the family of 23-year-old Richele Lee Bear.
The young Aboriginal woman from Regina has been missing since August.
Fundraising efforts are underway in the hopes of raising enough cash for a reward, a Facebook group is active, and police are still chasing down leads — but her whereabouts are still a big mystery.
Richele’s aunt, Angie Gray, wants to keep the case in the public’s mind in the hopes of bringing in a new lead:
“Somebody knows something and no one is speaking. That is what I think.”
Gray has organized walks, searches, and has started a fundraising campaign for a possible reward. Donations can be made at any branch of the Bank of Montreal.
She is also selling 50/50 tickets with the profits going into the Richele Lee Bear Fund. She says her niece was the kind of a person that brightened a room:
“She was very outgoing, soft-spoken, she was fun. She has lots and lots of friends. Very, very nice girl.”
Bear was last seen August 23. She is about 5’7″ tall, weighs 136 lbs., and has shoulder-length black hair and tattoos on her right calf.
Regina police are still following up leads. Police department spokesman Les Parker says getting information from the public, either through a report or anonymously, is crucial:
“We value the information. We absolutely need it. Of course, you can do it anonymously. The important thing is that we get the information so we can find the missing person.”
That is also the feeling of Gray. She is calling on anyone who knows something to contact Regina police at (306) 777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at (306) 222-8477.
Her greatest wish is that her niece is home for Christmas.