According to Today In BC, Emma Fillipoff lived a "transient lifestyle" prior to her disappearance. Specifically, she would live in boats, in the woods, or — sometimes in the weeks leading up to her disappearance — in a women's shelter. Sometimes she would work, getting jobs here and there at local eateries, including in what is described as a local favorite in Victoria, British Columbia — Red Fish Blue Fish.
A decade and a half earlier, when she was a preteen, she began showing signs of mental illness. She would engage in "compulsive rituals," as Today In BC describes it, including arranging objects into patterns. Her symptoms would worsen over the years, including showing signs of depression and paranoia, as well as severely restricting her diet. In the months and years leading up to her disappearance, Emma largely kept to herself and even shied away from disclosing her whereabouts to her family. "Emma has always been that way," her mother, Shelley Fillipoff, said via the Times Colonist in 2013. "She was always very private. But I think that might have gotten worse in recent years."
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9j21wa25lZMGpsYymsKyslae2sMHSZmlpaWJisaq%2FwKmnnpmilruksYyonWadnaKubrLIpaOiqJ%2Bbs3A%3D