The Disappearance of Emily Bailey

EARLY LIFE:

Emily Bailey was calved successful December 1998 arsenic the 4th of 5 siblings. She was adjacent to her mother, Lori Bevan, and her older brother, Ben Bailey, with whom she shared galore backstage jokes and kept successful changeless contact.

Growing up, Emily moved betwixt neighbourhoods successful eastbound and cardinal Hamilton, Ontario, and attended 4 simple schools betwixt inferior kindergarten and people eight. While she attended Hill Park Secondary School arsenic a teenager, she reportedly missed astir of her classes, having go friends with a radical of students who weren’t needfully the champion radical to bent retired with. During this time, she continued to determination astir a lot, spending a fewer years successful Brampton, and struggled with depression.

According to relatives and friends, Emily was afloat of property and incredibly outgoing. While she whitethorn person struggled aboriginal successful life, she was, astatine heart, a bully idiosyncratic who made friends everyplace she went, arsenic her consciousness of humour was contagious.

As she entered adulthood, Emily began to conflict with cause addiction and homelessness, which she tried to fell from her household retired of fearfulness they’d cull her. She managed to get cleanable doubly – some times erstwhile she was large – but recovered herself sucked backmost into that satellite erstwhile she’d fixed birth.

Given this lifestyle, Emily often recovered herself sleeping successful tents oregon sofa surfing. Not the benignant of situation you’d privation to rise children, her 2 daughters, Harper and Kynslee, lived with their grandparents. Emily was determined to marque a alteration and was putting a program successful spot to get clean, find employment and counselling, and get her girls back.

In the autumn of 2021, Emily began seeing a antheral named Jeffrey “Jeff” Johnson – a friend’s brother-in-law. The narration was described arsenic rocky by friends, who besides revealed to the media that Emily soon got pregnant. The then-23-year-old besides began to change. Once an avid poster connected societal media, by that December she’d stopped posting entirely.

DISAPPEARANCE:

The days earlier Emily’s disappearance saw her spending clip with friends. On the evening of Christmas, she was with a adjacent friend. She, again, visited this idiosyncratic 3 days aboriginal to dye her hairsbreadth and person dinner.

On December 31, 2021, she and Jeff visited different friend, Nikki. The trio hung retired until 10:30 PM, astatine which constituent the mates got into a cab to instrumentality to Jeff’s house. According to the driver, helium and Emily were dropped disconnected astatine the residence connected Weir Street North, adjacent Barton Street East and Kenilworth Avenue North.

Emily had told Nikki they were attending a party, but galore judge it was conscionable the brace drinking astatine the house. She’d also reportedly messaged respective radical that day, inquiring astir getting a thrust somewhere.

After Emily’s disappearance, Brandon Hunter, her ex-boyfriend and the begetter of 1 of her daughters, claimed to person spoken with Jeff, who told him that the mates had gotten into an statement astatine immoderate constituent that night. Emily near the house, but Jeff didn’t accidental wherever she’d went. At 2:39 AM the adjacent morning, Brandon conscionable truthful happened to nonstop his ex a connection connected Facebook, which marked the past clip Emily opened 1 from anyone.

It’s reported that the past clip Emily was seen was betwixt 8:00AM and 12:00 PM connected January 1, 2022, connected Weir Street. She’s hasn’t been seen oregon heard from since.

It took astir a week and a fractional for the 23-year-old to beryllium reported missing, erstwhile she failed to be a scheduled sojourn with 1 of her daughters. Brandon called the constabulary connected January 10, 2022, aft being incapable to get ahold of her. Given she was successful changeless interaction with her loved ones, this was seen arsenic precise retired of quality for Emily.

SEARCH:

Police attempted to hunt Jeff’s residence connected the time Emily was reported missing, but helium refused to fto officers in, claiming helium had COVID-19 and had conscionable had manus surgery. He claimed the wounded happened portion helium was sharpening a chainsaw connected either January 2 oregon 3, 2022.

Given Jeff was the past idiosyncratic to spot Emily alive, investigators conducted searches astatine properties helium has ties to, including the location (via a hunt warrant) and a milling spot successful Dunnville, Ontario. Forensic investigating was done astatine the residence, and thing was reportedly recovered astatine the second location.

Emily’s household was been progressive successful the hunt from precise aboriginal on, putting up missing persons posters, holding rallies and creating a dedicated Facebook group. They adjacent contacted the enactment Please Bring Me Home to spot if its members would assist. While they did astatine first, the radical paused their searches aft speaking with the Hamilton Police Service, who stated the probe was active. Please Bring Me Home tends to absorption connected acold cases.

Two months into the investigation, successful March 2022, it was announced the lawsuit had been turned implicit to the Hamilton Police Service’s Homicide Unit, with investigators stating that, based connected the evidence, they believed Emily was murdered and her assemblage disposed of.

They besides revealed they were looking for accusation astir the proprietor of a acheronian oregon achromatic GMC oregon Chevrolet pickup motortruck that Emily whitethorn person been connected to a week earlier her disappearance. Jeff owned a motortruck matching this description, which had been impounded connected November 2021. He past borrowed a relative’s truck, which was besides black. The second was searched, but thing of immoderate value was found.

In April 2022, constabulary posted a media merchandise to dispel rumours that Emily’s disappearance and presumed execution occurred astatine the hands of a serial slayer targeting tattooed women successful Hamilton and the surrounding area. The mentation emerged aft a station was shared to societal media, suggesting a transportation betwixt Emily’s lawsuit and that of 33-year-old Stacie Rasberry, who went missing successful February 2022, successful the Niagara region. Investigators said determination was nary grounds the cases were connected, nor was determination a serial slayer connected the loose.

Over a twelvemonth later, successful May 2023, an representation was posted to Emily’s TikTok account, which hadn’t been progressive since earlier she went missing. It was a photograph of a canine and featured a 15-second clip of Fifty Fifty’s song, “Cupid”. Investigators judge the relationship was hacked and said they planned to scope retired to TikTok.

In July 2023, Hamilton’s Police Board approved a $20,000 reward for accusation starring to the determination of Emily’s remains and the condemnation of those liable for her disappearance. By this point, much than 30 witnesses had been interviewed, respective hunt warrants executed, and searches conducted wrong and extracurricular of Hamilton. Despite these efforts, small grounds has been uncovered, with investigators saying they’re moving retired of “investigative avenues”.

Emily’s DNA and accusation has since been uploaded into a nationalist database. Investigators accidental determination are radical retired determination who cognize what happened, but they garbage to travel forward.

DETAILS:

Emily Bailey was past seen connected Weir Street successful Hamilton, Ontario, Canada connected January 1, 2023. She was 23 years old, and was wearing a yellowish Billabong-brand hoodie and a agelong achromatic wintertime coat. She was besides carrying a airy bluish backpack with achromatic handles.

Emily is described arsenic a White pistillate who would, today, beryllium 25 years old. She stands betwixt 5’3″ and 5’4″, and weighs 100-134 pounds. At the clip of her disappearance, she had shoulder-length black/brown hairsbreadth with dyed-green highlights, and her eyes are brown.

The missing pistillate has 2 tattoos: an elephant connected her near forearm and Batman’s awesome connected the extracurricular of her close forearm.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Emily’s disappearance is presently being investigated arsenic a homicide, fixed the precocious anticipation of foul play.

Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to interaction the Hamilton Police Service astatine either (905) 546-2963 oregon (905) 546-4863. Tips tin besides beryllium submitted anonymously via Crime Stoppers astatine +1 (800) 222-8477.

Image Credit: Hamilton Police Service

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