“She’s articulate, she’s smart, she’s an avid reader, she’s fearless.”
That's how Tatyanna Harrison's mother describes the young Indigenous woman in a heartfelt plea released by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). The video is part of the police department's efforts to locate the 20-year-old woman last seen on April 22. While police have learned about Harrison's movements before she went missing, they've been unable to locate her, and are turning to the public for more help.
"I’m putting out a plea to the public to help find my daughter. She’s 20 years old and she was last seen on the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver,” says her mother, Natasha Harrison, in the video.
In the months leading up to her disappearance, Harrison moved from Surrey to the Downtown Eastside. On Feb. 3 she told Surrey RCMP she has nowhere to stay; she had been living on the street in Surrey at that point, according to the VPD.
From Feb. 9 to 22 she stayed in a Vancouver shelter at 875 Terminal Ave. Police have learned she was often seen with a companion.
A month later, on March 23, she was seen at the Main and East Hastings RBC when she reported her bank card lost. She got a new card and withdrew some cash while there. In a security video from the bank she's seen with a man who's not been identified by police yet.
On March 24 she texted her mother from a new phone number. That was the last time the two communicated.
Over the next month Harrison was seen in Vancouver several times, including at Robson Park on April 7 and at the Grand Union Pub on April 22.
However, on April 27, she failed to collect a social assistance cheque. On May 3 she was reported was missing.
"Despite an investigation by police – supported by Tatyanna’s family, friends, and the community – there are no solid leads on her whereabouts," says the VPD in a press release.
They add it's unusual for Harrison to be out of contact with friends and family for this long.
"Tatyanna’s family, friends, and the community have been instrumental in helping establish a timeline of her last whereabouts," says Const. Tania Visintin in a press release. "The VPD and Tatyanna’s family want to ensure that the entire community remains engaged in the ongoing search for Tatyanna. We are asking everyone to share this video so we can find Tatyanna.”
Harrison is described as a 20-year-old Indigenous woman standing 5'1" with brown eyes and a slim build. She's known to change her hairstyle, but the last time she was seen she had medium-length auburn hair. She tends to wear glasses and baggy clothing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the VPD at 1-604-717-2530, email police at [email protected] or anonymously leave a tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
