Friday, Aug. 4, marks one month since Edgar B. Aberilla, 72, went missing in Bellingham. His family continues organized searches for him while local law enforcement said the missing person case is still open and ongoing.
Aberilla was last seen on July 4 at the Lowes parking lot on Sunset Drive after a neighbor dropped him off. Two weeks later, his shoe was found near the same parking lot. A second search party was held on Saturday, July 30, to no avail.
Aberilla is 5-foot-1 and around 140 pounds, according to police. He has gray hair and brown eyes. He was wearing tan shorts and a dark blue T-shirt the day he went missing.
On a Facebook group dedicated to finding Aberilla, his daughter Abigail Tullius wrote, “Searched new locations today, but still did not find my dad.” Tullius added that they moved their base of operations to Safeway on Sunset Drive as the second search party swept the area.
After two searches that resulted in no clear travel patterns and just one shoe as evidence, Tullius is looking to pivot strategies.
“At this point, we are thinking he is already in a different city and hopefully not a different state,” Tullius said in an interview.
The Facebook group and Tullius are focusing on raising media awareness through online and traditional channels.
Andy Aguinaldo, founder of cultural group Bisaya Group of Washington, has gone as far south as Renton to post missing person flyers and said he attempted to get television stations to cover Aberilla’s disappearance with no success.
“We are headed to Tukwila this afternoon [because] we received a tip that he was sighted in Tukwila,” Aguinaldo said.
Last month, Burlington Detective Sgt. Jeremy Kramer said Burlington Police had no plans to stop the search and will keep Aberilla’s case open until he is found. Kramer did not respond to multiple requests for comment prior to publication.
To support the search efforts, Tullius’ mother, Marilyn Aberilla, extended her visit to the U.S. from the Philippines and Tullius’ husband, Joshua, is on emergency leave from the Navy. But Tullius knows they will have to make tough decisions soon.
“At the six-month mark, [my mom] has to leave the country and that’s going to be in October, and my husband’s crew is currently deployed, so I am not sure if he will go out again,” Tullius said. “The stress is all on me because when they both leave, I am the only one who is going to be dealing with this.”
Anyone with information about Aberilla’s location is asked to call Burlington Police at (360) 755-0921. If anyone sees him, they are asked to stay with him and call 911 immediately.
