More than six weeks have passed since Eli Wood, a 25-year-old individual, disappeared from his residence in Kitchener under suspicious circumstances. In response, community members are organizing a ground search scheduled for this upcoming Sunday to aid in the investigation of his vanishing.
Wood has been absent since a fire consumed his Kitchener home on October 19. The fire, which was deemed arson by investigators from the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), targeted the residence where Wood resided, leading authorities to suspect foul play in his disappearance.
Wood, a student enrolled in the master of social work program at Wilfrid Laurier University, stands at four feet 10 inches tall and is a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Although Meghan Mathieson does not personally know Wood, she engaged in a Facebook group discussing his disappearance. Her suggestion of organizing a search party garnered substantial interest among group members.
Expressing concern for Wood’s mother, Mathieson emphasized the importance of maintaining hope and community support in the face of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Wood’s case.
While the police have not provided any new updates, they reassured the public of their active involvement in the investigation, emphasizing the need to safeguard the integrity of the ongoing efforts.
Wood’s family, echoing the sentiment of the police, urged individuals to refrain from sharing unverified information on social media platforms, emphasizing the potential adverse effects such actions may have on the investigation.
Mathieson highlighted the impact of Wood’s disappearance on the community, emphasizing the lack of closure and the profound effect it has had on those following the case.
Wood’s mother, Cindy Wood Amero, while declining media interviews, has been vocal on social media, continually advocating for attention to her son’s disappearance.
Volunteers are gearing up for a ground search event set to take place on Sunday, with the objective of locating Wood, who remains missing without any recent developments.
The search team, comprising individuals with diverse skill sets, aims to utilize their expertise to aid in the search. The inclusion of search and rescue dogs is being considered for future search endeavors.
Emphasizing the importance of community-driven efforts, the search team remains optimistic that their collective actions may yield valuable insights to assist the official investigation.