No real progress made in month since Louis Gonick disappeared

Since he disappeared on April 16, UBC student Louis Gonick has been missing for over a month. Many parties are now involved in the search for him, but none seems to have made a significant breakthrough in this investigation.

The last major public update was presented at the UBC RCMP’s press conference on April 27.

According to RCMP working on the case, there is no update regarding the investigation since this conference took place.

During that press conference, Gonick’s last known location was clarified. He was last seen at the Stanley Park causeway after getting off a taxi at 7:32 pm on April 16.

A photo of him captured by the taxi cab surveillance camera was also included in the press conference’s handout.

As a result, the RCMP has conducted an “extensive land and marine search” at this location and the surrounding area within Stanley Park. The Coast Guard, West Coast Marine Services, the Vancouver Police Marine Unit and Vancouver Port Authority were also involved.

At the same time, a search party for Gonick was carried out by his friends and fellow members of the UBC Ecuadorian Students Association. They had also previously held a rally and created a GoFundMe campaign to support Gonick’s family.

However, no confirmation about Gonick’s status has been made despite these efforts.

Gonick’s family is now seeking help from a private investigator. A new GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to help cover the costs.

According to Nathalie Lozano Neira, the campaign’s creator, the costs include the “private investigator’s fees, legal fees” and living expenses of Gonick’s mother, Lupe Carrera, who has travelled from Ecuador to Vancouver in order to find her son.

She was also present at the press conference to make a plea for his return and for the public’s support in the search for him.

“Life has no meaning without you in it, and we are all counting the seconds to see your smile again,” said Carrera.

Currently the campaign has raised over $2,600 toward its $20,000 goal since its creation on May 15, but it is unclear if any progress has been made by the private investigator. Gonick’s family and friends are not giving up on the search for him.

“We can all empathize with the pain that Lupe [Carrera], Louis’s friends and his loved ones are feeling,” wrote Neira in the campaign. “Louis is a member of this community and it is our responsibility to come together to help find him.”

Anyone with further information is asked to contact the UBC RCMP at 604-224-1322 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (file number 2017-1131).

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