The last time Suzie Goddard saw her husband Joel was when she was at home with him and their one month old son. That was 11 days ago.
“We hadn’t gone out much, you know, with the new born,” she told CTV News.
But on Nov. 10 Joel went for a drive in the family’s black GMC SUV, and never came home. The family has not heard from him since.
“He had left his phone at home,” said Gloria Goddard, Joel’s mom.
“It was in the couch so I don’t even think he was aware he didn’t have his phone with him.”
About a dozen people met at Willoughby Elementary school in Langley Saturday morning, near where the couple lives, to begin looking.
“It’s totally out of character for him to be leaving without any communication,” said Suzie, “we’re always communicating.”
Goddard and her mother-in-law searched by helicopter on Friday, and Saturday’s search focused on the radius about 10 minutes from their home.
“Once we get more people who want to help out, we do want to do a 22 kilometre radius around,” she said.
In a release, Mounties describe Joel as about 6 feet tall and 172 pounds, and “when last seen he was wearing a long sleeved white cotton shirt and grey sweatpants.”
Goddard told CTV News her husband stopped drinking while she was pregnant, and he doesn’t do drugs or have any affiliations with gangs.
“Picture a checklist of the perfect person, that’s him. He’s the perfect person,” she said, “he’s outdoorsy, he’s fun, he plays drums and guitar. He’s so talented, he’s hilarious, he’s just a great all around human. Not even just guy, human.”
Gloria said the family used to live in northern BC, where Joel grew up hiking, an activity he’s continued since moving to Langley. The pair got married in May.
“Suzie is the first girl he fell really hard for,” she said and when she looks at her grandson “it’s amazing to look at the little guy because he looks exactly like Joel did when he was a baby.”
Goddard has a Facebook page for Joel that includes details on when the next search will be, and a gofundme page to raise funds to do a second helicopter search.
The Goddard family and the Langley RCMP, are asking the public to keep their eyes open for Joel and his SUV. Anyone with information is asked to call the RCMP.
