New docu-series teaser released on 12^th anniversary

LAURIE WEIR

For Perth’s Shelley Fillipoff, each day without her daughter Emma feels like an eternity. Emma vanished at age 26 from Victoria, B.C., under haunting circumstances on Nov. 28, 2012, leaving Shelley to navigate a constant cycle of hope, despair, and determination. Over the past dozen years, Shelley has lived through endless leads that have gone nowhere and attempts by people to scam her out of the $25,000 reward for Emma’s safe return.

There was an age-progression photo shared on the 10th anniversary of Emma’s disappearance, but Shelley said she didn’t feel it looked like her daughter. She said she wasn’t sure what to expect, but was thankful for a second attempt. A forensic artist, Hew Morrison, saw the news and felt he could help with another age-progression drawing. He created a new image of Emma, as well as a composite drawing of the man in the green shirt.

This Green Shirt Man was seen in a Vancouver clothing boutique. He had a crumpled missing person poster of Emma and was adamant that she wasn’t missing and she didn’t want anything to do with her family. He called Emma his girlfriend. The man had a pronounced limp and tattoos on his arms. He seemed agitated in the video surveillance and left before police could arrive.

Shelley heard about the lead and spent hours searching for him. “I walked those streets,” she recalled. “I thought maybe, just maybe, this was the break we needed.”

A new teaser for a six-hour docu-series by Bayberry Films shows interviews surrounding the man in the green shirt. Kimberley Bordage, filmmaker and missing persons’ advocate, said the release date of the docu-series has yet to be determined. The 22-minute preview, The Man in the Green Shirt, dropped on Nov. 28, the anniversary of Emma’s disappearance. This preview brings renewed focus to the unresolved story of the man in hopes of reigniting public interest, the filmmaker said.

Bordage noted that the image of the man in the green shirt has received limited exposure so far. She hopes the new video teaser and expanded media coverage will encourage more people to see and share it. “Maybe someone will recognize him,” the release stated.

Criminologist Dr. Michael Arntfield called the drawing “really well done. A very rigorous, thoughtful approach on how to develop a more usable image of what this person may look like, versus the grainy CCTV footage that we’ve relied on thus far.”

The grief of having a missing child is unlike any other. “When someone dies, you can grieve. You know they’re gone. But with Emma, I don’t know where she is. I can’t grieve in the normal way,” Shelley said.

Days blur together, with Shelley thinking constantly about her missing daughter. She spends time online, follows up on every potential lead, and monitors new tips that might bring Emma home. Shelley’s unwavering belief is that somewhere, someone knows something that could help find her daughter. “I know someone has information, someone knows something,” she said.

When asked what she would say to other families suffering similar loss, Shelley said, “Lean on people who care about you. Don’t try not to lose sight of the love that surrounds you and the good things in your life because it’s very hard to sometimes not let the dark overshadow the light. It can be hard and you don’t want to get into that dark, because I think if you get into the darkness too much, in terms of closing out the light, I think then you’re in a deeper hole. Then you’ve really got to dig your way out.”

If Shelley could speak to Emma right now, she said she would fall apart. “I think I’ll just crumble, but I would tell her that I love her beyond words. And of course, how much was missed her. I mean, it’s just terrible. All the Christmases and the birthdays … it’s everything. I’d just keep repeating how much I love her. I think it would be a great reunion — an incredibly wonderful thing to have happen.”

Shelley has gone through the kids’ rooms, purging things that are no longer needed. She’s not a hoarder, she says, but Emma was a “manic collector” of things like rocks and feathers. “I’ve got her boxes down to three now,” she said. “There were 18.”

Shelley’s passion for keeping Emma’s story alive is unwavering. “It’s not just about finding her—it’s about making sure her story doesn’t fade into the background. People need to know that she’s out there, and that her family is still searching,” Shelley said.

While time has not diminished Shelley’s search, she refuses to give in to despair. “I don’t care how long it takes. I will never stop looking for Emma, because she deserves to come home. We deserve to be together again.”

For now, Shelley remains a beacon of hope, her determination to reunite with Emma a powerful force in the fight for answers. Despite the years of uncertainty, Shelley’s love for her daughter has never wavered. “I’ll keep going, no matter what,” she said. “Because that’s what a mother does.”

Victoria Police Department’s lead detective, Det./Cst. Bob Illes, said the investigation needs only one person with the right information to come forward.

“If you are the person known as ‘Green Shirt Guy,’ or if you know who he is, or if you have any other information related to Emma’s case, contact the Victoria Police Department or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers,” Illes said.

Call (250) 995-7654, or the Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The website dedicated to finding Emma has been updated to include a revised timeline, most recent search initiatives, and an expanded media section. The site now features a news archive covering past articles related to Emma’s case and a press release section. It is also available in 10 languages to broaden the reach. Visit HelpFindEmmaFillipoff.ca to stay up-to-date on the latest news, and see the docu-series teasers.