The desperate search for a missing Canadian Forces veteran is ramping up as family members gather in Thorold to be closer to the search effort.
Katrina Blagdon, a 37-year-old mother of two from St. Catharines, vanished on New Year’s Eve, prompting a massive search that has seen hundreds of local volunteers combing portions of the Niagara region and putting up posters every day.
"None of us have answers, and that is what is frustrating us the most," said Kelly Blagdon, the eldest sister of the missing war veteran, in an interview with ThoroldToday.
"There is just no rational explanation to any of this."
Katrina Blagdon retired after a 14-year career in the military that included a tour of duty in Afghanistan. She moved to St. Catharines in 2015, where she studied administration and had recently graduated from a local school, her sister said.
The last confirmed sighting of Blagdon was at Firehouse Subs on Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines, where she was recorded by security cameras picking up food, together with her boyfriend, around 6 p.m. on Dec. 31.
"In the last contacts with the family she said that she was planning a quiet night in, and going to bed before, or close to midnight," said Kelly. “But the lack of cellphone activity past 6 p.m on New Years Eve alone makes me concerned. She was on every major social media. It would have been crazy for her not to contact us."
Her cellphone has not been located, but all her other belongings—including her purse, bank cards, and passport—were found at her house, in all the places where she normally left them.
Kelly said her sister has struggled with PTSD from her military career, but had been actively managing it, and that she had a large network of friends and other supports. Her sister said she cherished her family, including her two teenage sons, and would never go so long without contacting anyone.
"She was in the best place she had been in a long time, and had just gotten really good news," said Kelly Blagdon, herself a military veteran, referring to Katrina's schooling.
The family of the missing woman has rented accommodations in Thorold, where her circle of loved ones has gathered to be closer to the search while supporting each other and trying to make sense of the disappearance.
Kelly Blagdon said the community support has been overwhelming, both through volunteers going out on searches and reporting back, and through a joint effort to supply meals to the family through an online service.
A Facebook group, which is the core in organizing the search, has been flooded with support, memories of Katrina, and messages from across the country—notably from other military veterans who are invested in the cause.
"The network of military women who have come forward from all over is amazing,” she said. “But it is really strange to bring the skill sets you thought you had left behind in the military. Now it is coming out again."
Niagara Regional Police are actively investigating Katrina Blagdon's disappearance. CrimeStoppers has put out an urgent appeal for residents to check their devices for possible footage of Katrina.
Investigators are particularly interested in Dash Cam or security footage taken between 8 p.m. on December 31 and 6 p.m. on January 2.
Two unconfirmed sightings have placed Blagdon in the Martindale/Vansickle Rd. area around 9-9:30 on December 31, but police have not been able to verify those reports.
Katrina Blagdon is described as white, 5’4 with a slim build, dirty blonde hair and tattoos.
A $2,000 reward has been authorized for tips that lead to answers in the disappearance.
"It is frustrating," said Kelly Blagdon. "It feels like Groundhog Day, a repeat. Every day we wake up with new hope to find her or learn what happened to our sister, and come suppertime, we realize it won’t be the day we find her, but we won't stop looking."
UPDATE Jan 20, 8:26 p.m: The article has been updated to correct information about Katrina's evening plans for December 31
