It’s been a year and a half since Alina Durham began advocating to get a missing adult alert in place in memory of her daughter, yet nothing has been done.
Shaelene Keeler Bell, a 23-year-old Chilliwack mother, went missing on Jan. 30, 2021. Her body was found on June 2, 2021 in the Fraser River near Coquitlam.
Ever since, Durham has been trying to get a bill passed for Shaelene’s Missing Adult Alert. It would be similar to an Amber Alert, but would be for adults who go missing under suspicious circumstances and are at risk of imminent danger or death.
She’s having a public event on Monday, Jan. 30 to spread the word.
Durham said the adult alert would be a “win-win” as law enforcement can always use more eyes and ears, and the public’s help when looking for missing persons. Plus the infrastructure for the National Public Alerting System is already in place and can be expanded to add more alerts.
Over the past 18 months, she has emailed, called and met with countless officials trying to get answers.
To name a few, she’s reached out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Governor General Mary Simon, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, plus other federal and provincial ministers and several members of police services.
Not one person that she has spoken with is opposed to the adult alert, she said, yet there has been no progress.
