It's been almost two weeks since Nadia Kajouji disappeared in Ottawa, Canada, and her family is angry! And rightfully so! Seems as though the Ottawa police assigned to Nadia's case are taking the weekend off for Easter to spend time with their families, while Nadia's family is frantic with worry, and obviously will not be celebrating Easter.
Nadia, a first-year public affairs and policy student at Carleton University, has been missing for 13 days, following a Sunday night email she wrote to a friend saying she was going skating on the Rideau Canal.
However, that night, a half-metre of snow fell in Ottawa, making it next to impossible for anyone to skate the canal. Her parents, Deborah Chevalier and Mohamad Kajouji, were expecting her for the Easter holiday. Now almost two weeks later, her family says they're unsatisfied with the search conducted by police so far.
Instead of the police doing their job, Nadia's parents went to Ottawa looking for their daughter on Wednesday; even going so far as to offer a $50,000 reward for her safe return. Police in Ottawa did not return calls for comment.
Nadia's family returned home yesterday afternoon after spending the previous two days posting flyers around the university, in malls and at bus terminals. They also received help from the head of security at Carleton and the Ottawa Search and Rescue team, a volunteer service that had a dog search the campus and near the river for any signs of Nadia.
Nadia's aunt, Candita Martens-Mills says the reward and the family's own efforts to find the Nadia were necessary because of a less-than-stellar police investigation. "They've taken this long to step up. Until we came up this week nothing was really done," said Martens-Mills. "It's the right people who should be helping who we're disappointed in. The Ottawa police department never brought in their dogs. They're also not searching right now; they said they'd be back on Monday. They get to spend the holiday with their family, while we don't."
Nadia's aunt has created a Facebook group page to help look for Nadia. It has over 10,000 members and spawned a rally yesterday organized by students of Carleton University. The group, organized by second-year anthropology student Will Samuel, canvassed the area in an effort to make people aware that Nadia was missing.
"We went door-to-door and put up posters with her photo," said Samuel. "It was successful in that sense ... of raising awareness."
Martens-Mills said Nadia's disappearance is "totally out of character", describing Nadia as a "bubbly, outgoing, and confident person who loved life and wouldn't just take off and not contact her family."
Nadia's aunt stated, "Somebody knows something – why would you send them an email? "Something doesn't fit. (Her roommates) didn't realize until this past Tuesday, even after talking to police that they had the email? And no one saw her leave with skates."(Police) keep saying no foul play was involved, but we know her and this doesn't add up. Someone needs to come forward ... if there was an accident, they need to step up and tell us what happened."
In August 2007, the family of missing daycare worker Christina Calayca was distraught and angry with how the Ontario Provincial Police conducted its search for the 20-year-old.
A separate civilian search, organized by local municipalities and made up of about 100 volunteers, was mobilized due to their lack of a proper investigation. Christina Calayca had been camping with her cousin and two men she knew from a youth group when she disappeared on August 6, 2007. She was last seen jogging in the Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, about 180 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, Canada.
Nadia, a first-year public affairs and policy student at Carleton University, has been missing for 13 days, following a Sunday night email she wrote to a friend saying she was going skating on the Rideau Canal.
However, that night, a half-metre of snow fell in Ottawa, making it next to impossible for anyone to skate the canal. Her parents, Deborah Chevalier and Mohamad Kajouji, were expecting her for the Easter holiday. Now almost two weeks later, her family says they're unsatisfied with the search conducted by police so far.
Instead of the police doing their job, Nadia's parents went to Ottawa looking for their daughter on Wednesday; even going so far as to offer a $50,000 reward for her safe return. Police in Ottawa did not return calls for comment.
Nadia's family returned home yesterday afternoon after spending the previous two days posting flyers around the university, in malls and at bus terminals. They also received help from the head of security at Carleton and the Ottawa Search and Rescue team, a volunteer service that had a dog search the campus and near the river for any signs of Nadia.
Nadia's aunt, Candita Martens-Mills says the reward and the family's own efforts to find the Nadia were necessary because of a less-than-stellar police investigation. "They've taken this long to step up. Until we came up this week nothing was really done," said Martens-Mills. "It's the right people who should be helping who we're disappointed in. The Ottawa police department never brought in their dogs. They're also not searching right now; they said they'd be back on Monday. They get to spend the holiday with their family, while we don't."
Nadia's aunt has created a Facebook group page to help look for Nadia. It has over 10,000 members and spawned a rally yesterday organized by students of Carleton University. The group, organized by second-year anthropology student Will Samuel, canvassed the area in an effort to make people aware that Nadia was missing.
"We went door-to-door and put up posters with her photo," said Samuel. "It was successful in that sense ... of raising awareness."
Martens-Mills said Nadia's disappearance is "totally out of character", describing Nadia as a "bubbly, outgoing, and confident person who loved life and wouldn't just take off and not contact her family."
Important Details Overlooked by Police--
Discovered by Family, Friends
Discovered by Family, Friends
Missing from Nadia's room are her skates, as well as her cellphone
and her diary (why her diary? That is a very strange clue that
needs to be investigated immediately.)
and her diary (why her diary? That is a very strange clue that
needs to be investigated immediately.)
Nadia's aunt stated, "Somebody knows something – why would you send them an email? "Something doesn't fit. (Her roommates) didn't realize until this past Tuesday, even after talking to police that they had the email? And no one saw her leave with skates."(Police) keep saying no foul play was involved, but we know her and this doesn't add up. Someone needs to come forward ... if there was an accident, they need to step up and tell us what happened."
Previous Police Incompetence?
In August 2007, the family of missing daycare worker Christina Calayca was distraught and angry with how the Ontario Provincial Police conducted its search for the 20-year-old.
A separate civilian search, organized by local municipalities and made up of about 100 volunteers, was mobilized due to their lack of a proper investigation. Christina Calayca had been camping with her cousin and two men she knew from a youth group when she disappeared on August 6, 2007. She was last seen jogging in the Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, about 180 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, Canada.
5 comments:
People go missing in the States everyday.
And your point would be???? Thought so. Shut your negative sorry ass pie hole and crawl back under the rock from where you came from.
I'm a good friend of Nadia's.. and I regret to inform you that her body was recovered today in the Rideau River.
Thank you so much for raising awareness and caring.
-Miranda Bennett
Miranda--
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I can't imagine losing a friend. I will pray for you, her friends and especially her family. She was a beautiful girl, with a wonderful future.
Do you have any information on how she died? I'd like to follow up so her life and story doesn't get swept under the rug.
Take care.
Nadia was found in the Rideau River, it is not evident if it was a suicide or if foul play was the case. As far as I know, there is no information as to what the autopsy has confirmed, other than the fact that it is Nadia.
If you visit the facebook groups dedicated to finding her, and her memory, you will probably be able to find out more information.
Kaitlind
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