PLAMONDON - An emotional vigil took place Sunday evening, hoping to bring awareness to the disappearance of 54-year-old Rose Simonelis. The Plamondon-area woman who has not been seen or heard from since Oct. 5 of this year.
Community residents - including friends of Simonelis - organized the vigil to raise more awareness about the missing woman and the ongoing search for her.
“We are doing it to bring light to Rose…and that is the one thing we want to do…no matter what the circumstances…we want to bring light to her and the situation, so people know it’s important, to not just our community, but all over the place,” said a woman who was at the observance who asked that her name not be used.
The vigil got underway at 7 p.m. drawing a group of people to the parking lot of St. Isidore Catholic Church next to the Plamondon Senior Centre. Holding flameless LED candles and posters of Simonelis, the group shared a moment of silence followed by songs sung in tribute. Next, they proceeded along 100 St. to the gate of the property located a kilometre west of Plamondon where Simonelis had been living at the time of her disappearance.
Their candles illuminating the dark, cold night, the group listened to short speeches about Simonelis from several amonth them, including a poem that was read by one of the night's organizers. At the gate was a poster of Simonelis. Beside the poster was a tray holding more than 60 candles to signify the number of days she has been missing.
Following the walk, the group returned to the Plamondon Senior Centre.
“A lot of people are hurting here, so they can just express themselves and let the people know that we are looking, and we haven’t stopped, and we are going to keep looking,” the woman continued, explaining that several searches of the community and property around where she had been living had been searchd, but heavily forested terrain in the area has made searches more difficult.
The woman said it isn’t common for Simonelis to go this long without having any contact with friends or family.
Social media posts had been shared in the weeks leading up to the planned candlelight vigil to raise awareness about the event.
Rose Simonelis is described as 54 years of age, with a fair complexion, blond hair and brown eyes. Rose is five-foot, one inch tall, and weighs approximately 160 pounds.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Rose Simonelis is asked to contact the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment at 780-404-2500 or their local police. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
