Missing Surrey man’s family frustrated by RCMP investigation, communication

DELTA (NEWS 1130) — Bernard Grempel has been missing for two weeks. His sister is worried the RCMP are not treating the case urgently enough, and that her brother’s mental health struggles may be the reason why.

Ettie Shurack, who is a mother of four with a fifth child on the way, has taken on the role of communicating with police on behalf of the family.

“As difficult as this situation is for me. I would imagine that it is 100 times worse for my parents. They are seniors, and English is a second language for them as we are immigrants to Canada, and this is their youngest and only son,” she says.

“I’m extremely worried that my brother is lost, scared, injured, or in danger. I implore the RCMP to use all of their resources to bring my brother home safely”

Grempel, who is 28, was last seen on May 14. Community-led searches have been underway since, and a $10,000 reward has been raised for anyone who has information that leads to Grempel being found.

Shurack was given more information about when and where her “one and only brother” was last seen on May 25 when police confirmed Grempel last used his Compass card on May 14 when he boarded the 340 bus leaving 22nd Street SkyTrain station for Scottsdale Exchange. She says this is the route Grempel would take to visit his parents’ home.

She doesn’t understand why it took so long to confirm this, saying it would have helped volunteers focus their search. Further, Shurack says that police knew where the transit pass was used five days before giving that information to the family.

“I made flyers and posters, and we posted them all over a variety of social media platforms, I have also been out searching for him for around 12 hours a day — some days longer — as have my mother, father, and husband. We have made up a team of over 100 volunteers who are actively searching for my brother day and night,” she says.

“We’ve had a variety of sightings and searched extensively throughout the Lower Mainland, including Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Ladner, Tsawwassen, and the Downtown Eastside. Hundreds of people have been searching every city in the Lower Mainland based on sightings — day and night, 24/7 — everywhere other than the last actual city, that my brother was in.”

https://twitter.com/SurreyRCMP/status/1395882105398235138

Surrey RCMP spokesperson, Sgt. Elenore Sturko, says on May 21, investigators determined where the card was last used. However, they were only able to confirm that it was actually Grempel who used it on the 25th.

“Once that confirmation was made, we were able to share it with the family,” Sturko says, adding the search has begun to focus on Watershed Park

“I think one of the things that’s probably particularly frustrating for the family is although we did get some more information about some possible transit use, we weren’t able to use that information to find out exactly where he may have exited the bus.”

Shurack says she understands that there was a possibility the card was stolen, but thinks the fact it was used on a route her brother travels regularly should have been shared sooner.

This particular issue, for Shurack, is an example of what has been so frustrating and distressing for the family. Her understanding is that footage from the bus would have been available for seven days, and now it’s too late.

“I am happy with the steps they are taking, but not with the pace,” she says.

Shurack says search and rescue crews will be out looking for her brother over the weekend, something she also wishes would have happened sooner.

Suicide theory ‘surprising, extremely upsetting’ to family 

Shurack says her brother began having challenges with his mental health in his mid-20s.

“My brother has had struggles with mental health over the last four years, but he was always proactive in terms of seeking counselling and treatment, meeting with his mental health team, taking his medication, and seeing his psychiatrists for regular appointments,” she explains, adding she encouraged police to contact his treatment team.

According to Shurack, during one of many phone conversations with police, the officer investigating said the theory police are working with is that Grempel died by suicide.

“Besides that being a blunt and insensitive statement to say so callously to a family member, they did not have any direct leads at that point that prove this,” she says.

“To be told that the intensity of the search was being lessened, because of a theory that has no evidence was both surprising and extremely upsetting.”

Sturko says the Surrey RCMP are hoping to find Grempel, and bring him home.

“I can tell you that you, sadly, one of the possibilities that they’re considering is the possibility that he may have died, but we’re continuing to work under the assumption that he is alive and we do hope to find him alive,” she says.

“We haven’t scaled back any of our investigation.”

Sturko could not say whether or not Shurack was told that police suspect suicide in her brother’s case.

“We understand that having discussions about the possibilities of sad outcomes for missing person cases is difficult for families, and we know that. We will be looking at our unit to see if there’s ways in which that message can be perhaps conveyed in a way that makes it easier for families,” she says.

“We haven’t come to any conclusions from this investigation. We are working under the assumption that he’s still alive, we hope to find him alive. But it’s obviously very difficult for families to even engage in those types of discussions with us.”

‘We really need him to come home’

Shurack last talked to her brother two days before he disappeared, and says he was always in constant contact with his family — and they miss him desperately.

“The moment that I heard that my brother went missing, it just sounded so uncharacteristic of him because he’s such a family guy. He speaks with my mother daily, he’s very much a mama’s boy. He loves spending time with my kids. My kids love it when he babysits. My husband and I love joking around with him, hanging out with him,” she says.

“Bernard’s family and close friends, we really miss him, we love him, we’re worried about him, we really need him to come home. We’re using every inch of our effort, as are friends, acquaintances, and strangers. They’re all rallying, and trying to find Bernard, and yet it feels like we don’t have the support of the RCMP.”

Grempel has always played competitive sports, favouring swimming and soccer from a young age. For years, he worked as a swim coach for a team in North Delta.

“The messages that parents are sending are just so touching saying that Bernard was an incredible coach, he really touched my children’s lives, he made such an impact on the North Delta community,” Shurack says.

“It’s just so beautiful to see. Each time I read something like that I have so much pride. It makes me think, yeah, that’s my brother, that’s my little brother.”