Maggie Lea BURKE Missing Person Case

Maggie Lea

BURKE

42

21

67 inches

67 inches

126 lbs

126 lbs

Indigenous

Female

In the winter of 2004, a 21-year-old mother named Maggie Lea Burke vanished from the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta. On the night of December 9th, she was at her apartment near 95th Street and 118th Avenue when she received a phone call just before midnight. After the call, she told her roommates she was going to meet a friend and would be "right back," leaving without taking any personal belongings with her. Maggie was never seen or heard from again. Described by her mother as a "happy-go-lucky" and outgoing young woman who loved animals and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, Maggie was also a mother to a young daughter. At the time she went missing, she was working as a server in restaurants. However, she also faced personal struggles, including drug addiction, and was involved in the city's sex trade to make ends meet, which placed her in a vulnerable situation in an area known for violence. The investigation into Maggie's disappearance began after her roommate reported her missing on December 18, 2004. However, it wasn't until five months later that the Edmonton Police Service issued a public alert about her case. In April 2005, the RCMP's Project KARE, a unit that investigates cases of missing and murdered vulnerable persons, announced that they suspected foul play in her disappearance. Police have stated that while they have suspicions, they lack sufficient evidence to determine what happened to her. Over the years, efforts have been made to keep Maggie's case in the public eye. In 2015, her case was featured in a social media campaign by the RCMP to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. That same year, a Crime Stoppers billboard with her picture was erected near where she was last seen, and video re-enactments were released. Maggie's family, who did not make their first public pleas for help until 2015, do not believe she would have willingly left her daughter and loved ones. Her mother has spoken about the enduring pain of not knowing what happened to her child, describing it as a "nightmare that you...haven't really been able to wake up from." At the time of her disappearance, Maggie was described as being 5'7" and weighing around 120-125 pounds, with brown hair that had natural red streaks and brown eyes. She wore glasses and had several tattoos, including a happy face on her left ankle and a marijuana leaf on her upper left arm. The case of Maggie Lea Burke is a story of a young life with both promise and hardship, whose sudden disappearance left a void in the lives of her family. Despite the passage of time and the acknowledgment of suspected foul play, her case remains unsolved, one of many long-term missing person files in Edmonton. The lack of answers continues to be a source of anguish for her loved ones, who still hope that someone will come forward with the information needed to bring Maggie home.

Glasses Black Jacket Black, bomber style Jewelry Silver, Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Black, nose stud Jewelry Silver, Aluminum, Stainless Steel, necklace with charm Jewelry Black, Remand Centre cross on a black string Pants Denim, Blue Shoes flip flop

Dec 09, 2004

Edmonton

Alberta

Edmonton Police Service

Edmonton

Alberta

780-423-4567

780-423-4567

Law Enforcement

04-160739

Edmonton Police Service

Brown

Brown

Brown

Hair details: dyed pink purple and blond streaks at tips

No