Detective, family give update on search for man missing from Philippines 1 month later
After Edgar B. Aberilla was dropped off outside of Lowe’s in Bellingham from Burlington on July 4, he disappeared and the search for him by family and community members began.
More than a month later, there still has been no sign or Aberilla, 72, who was visiting vamily from the Philippines.
Aberilla and his wife were visiting their daughter, Abby Tulllius, in Burlington, Wash. He has dementia and there was a communication barrier when he was dropped off outside the Lowe’s by a neighbor, according to previous reporting in the Bellingham Herald.
Detective Sgt. Jeremy Kramer of the Burlington Police Department said in an interview with the Herald that they do not have any leads on where Aberilla is or what happened to him. They could not find video surveillance cameras around the area where he went missing to track where Aberilla went after he was dropped off at the store.
The case remains open.
Tullius said the family has conducted two search parties and some members of the Bellingham community helped out. This past weekend they did not schedule one because some are physically exhausted, Tullius said.
Kramer said detectives would go up to Bellingham when they could to provide assistance. A Facebook group called “Help us find Edgar B. Aberilla” organizes the search parties and updates followers with information about the case.
“I truly appreciate some of the residents of Bellingham,” Tullius said.
In one instance, someone in the city saw a person who looked like Aberilla and they sent a photo to the official website set up to find him. However, Tullius confirmed that it was not her dad but she said she appreciates people doing that.
Tullius said her friends have been putting up fliers in areas more south of Burlington such as Kent and Bellevue in case Aberilla received a ride from someone to those areas.
Tullius said it has been an emotional time for her family. Her husband took emergency leave from the Navy to assist with the search. Her youngest brother has been in the Philippines and Tullius said he is struggling because he is alone. She also tries to find ways to make her mother happy for a brief moment until the reality of their situation comes back.
Tullius said she misses her father most when she is looking outside her garden.
“When he came here, because our garden was a mess, he pulled out a lot of weeds. So every time I look at our yard it just makes me miss my dad because in the afternoon he would go out a lot and start gardening,” she said.
Tullius said her dad taught her how to make Filippino dishes before his cognitive health issues arose
“It’s just one of [the] things that I truly miss about him,” she said.
Aberilla is 5-foot-1, 140 pounds with short black hair. He wears glasses and was last seen with a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts, brown shoes and was carrying a brown bag.
If anyone sees Aberilla, they are asked to stay with him and call 911 immediately. Tullius said they can also take a photo if they see someone who looks like him and send it to their official website.
