The level of concern is nearing desperation for the family of a Winnipeg senior who has been missing for more than a week.
The search for Earl Moberg continued Saturday, with roughly 40 people gathering in the River East neighbourhood to scour walking paths and river banks for the 81-year-old man who was last seen in the area around 6 p.m. on Dec. 12.
Several searches by police, family and community organizers have turned up no trace of Earl, who suffers from advanced dementia.
“He wouldn’t have the capacity to be taking care of himself, so we are obviously very concerned about whether it is possible he is still alive,” his daughter, Britt Moberg, said.
“Every day I am just hoping something is going to happen where somebody is going to find him… He is out there somewhere.”
“Every day I am just hoping something is going to happen where somebody is going to find him… He is out there somewhere.”–Britt Moberg
Despite his age and cognitive condition, Earl is mobile and it is possible he could have traveled far from his home on Gilmore Avenue, she said.
The family last spoke to him around 6:30 p.m. on the night he disappeared. His son was able to reach him by phone and — based on what Earl said during the call — they think he may have been walking near the underpass on Chief Peguis Trail, Britt said.
The Winnipeg Police Service said investigators traced another call Earl made to Bunn’s Creek Centennial Park.
Earl attempted to phone his family a final time around 8:30 p.m., but the call was missed and attempts to call back went unanswered, his daughter said.
“It’s just terrible. It’s really just frustrating right now,” she said, adding she has continued daily foot searches in the area. “I don’t know what else to be doing except spread the word about my dad being missing.”
The Winnipeg Police Service issued a silver alert shortly after Earl disappeared. The specialized notice is used when a vulnerable adult is reported missing.
“I don’t know what else to be doing except spread the word about my dad being missing.”–Britt Moberg
WPS investigators have partnered with RCMP and cadets to conduct searches on foot and using a helicopter and drones. Police previously said they ruled out the possibility he fell into a body of water.
Bear Clan citizen patrol group, which led Saturday’s search through Chief Peguis Trail, has organized similar efforts near Bunn’s Creek and in Kildonan Park.
The group will continue searching in the coming days until Earl is found, his daughter said.
She urged people living in northeast Winnipeg to continue to check their yards and outbuildings for evidence of her father, saying he may have been confused and attempting to find shelter.
Earl is 5-7 in height with a medium build, short white hair and a white beard. He was wearing either a dark blue or green parka when he was last seen, WPS said.
The disappearance has left Britt wondering why silver alerts are not sent to mobile phones like amber alerts, which are used in the case of missing children.
She is also concerned about the ongoing decision from Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, to block Canadian news content amid a dispute with Canadian legislators.
The move made it difficult to share information about her father in the hours and days after he went missing, Britt said.
“This could happen to somebody else, and I just keep thinking how we can prevent this. It is horrible,” she said.
“So many people could have walked passed him the night he went missing, but they just didn’t know. That could have potentially been life saving.”
Anyone with any information should call police at 204-986-6250.
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’ city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.
