The Tuesday that 18-year-old Joseph Maku was last seen was a day as ordinary as any other, making his disappearance even more confusing for the family members who've been hoping for answers each and every day since.
"One thing I say to myself every single day he’s been missing is ‘How did this happen?’" shared his older sister Brenda Maku, 25, in an interview with Peace Arch News.
"My main hope is that he’s just somewhere sheltered and safe and warm."
Joseph, described as spontaneous, adventurous and clever, was last seen in the 13000-block of 96th Avenue on Tuesday, Oct. 22. He is described as Black, six-foot-five and 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Surrey RCMP says he is believed to be wearing a black hoodie, black North Delta Huskies basketball shorts, and black and white basketball shoes.
The 18-year-old is a student at the University of British Columbia in his first year studying kinesiology. On that Oct. 22 before Brenda left for school, Joseph was studying and it was likely he was going to remain home the entire day, she said.
So when Brenda returned that evening and found her younger brother was not home, something was off to her. Joseph always told the family where he was going before he left the home, but this time, he told his siblings only that he would be back soon.
That was nearly two weeks ago, and Joseph has yet to return.
Later that Tuesday night, around 10 to 11 p.m., Brenda became concerned. During her rising anxiousness, Brenda's mother was asking her if Joseph had come back home — the mother working that night as she works graveyard shifts.
"It’s 11, it’s 11:15, 11:30 and now it’s midnight, and that’s when I started to get very very anxious," Brenda recalled.
"I’m trying to think of a way to tell her (their mom) he hasn’t in a way that doesn’t make her so stressed during her shift, but there is no simple way of saying it. It’s getting closer to 1, closer to 2, and I’m having a nervous breakdown because this is not normal for Joseph."
The older sister keeps calling and texting Joseph but is receiving no answer.
"Something’s going on, something happened" is all she can think, crying, leading her to call the police to file a missing persons report at about 2 a.m.
"I still had hope that maybe he snuck off to his friend's house and slept over and didn’t want to say anything about that. I had hopes that before my mom got home at 8 a.m. that Joseph would just pop in."
But that's not what happened.
Brenda then told her mom that she had reported Joseph missing. Since then, the family has raised awareness of Joseph's disappearance on social media, urging the public to watch for him as the 18-year-old frequents public transit.
"There’s days where my family and I all feel really hopeful. ... Then there are other days that are really gloomy, everything is quiet, there’s not much movement in the house, no one’s eating.
"Out of all of us, Joseph is the most sociable, he’s the most energetic, he’s the most outgoing, so now the house is so much more quiet without him."
The message from Joseph's mother is clear and direct: "Joseph, come home please," Brenda shared on her behalf.
That is what they would all like. If her brother is just not ready to come home, she said, the sister just asks for a text informing the family soon. The stress of school becoming too much and wanting some space away is a theory Brenda could believe, but regardless, the hope is that he is "sheltered, safe and warm and eating."
"Joseph, I hope you know that we love you so much and we miss you a lot," said Brenda in her message to Joseph.
"I’ve received a lot of messages from people that know you and have grown up with you, and you are loved and cared for by so many people. So many people have been impacted by your kind, outgoing, caring nature, and I hope you know that at the end of this all, there’s nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about at all. We all just want you to be safe.
"It doesn’t matter where you went or what you’re doing, we just want you to come home and be safe."
Police ask anyone with information about Joseph Maku to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file 2024-157805, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit solvecrime.ca.
