Clorrica Riggs' friends are appealing to the Whistler community for help finding a woman they describe as "the most kind, loving, goof ball."
The 29-year-old Whistler resident was last seen on Tuesday, Aug. 23, when she mentioned she was heading out for a walk at around 2 p.m. Her car was later found parked at the trailhead to Rainbow Lake, located on Alta Lake Road. Several of Riggs friends headed to the site to set up a tribute to her on Sunday afternoon.
"She is always ready for an adventure, the happiest morning person you could meet," Riggs' friends told Pique in an email. The group of seven friends—Kalina Billings, Amanda Nordeen, Ashley Brien, Natasha Matthes, April Strandlund, Rachelle Dunn and Barnabas Bekei—drove to Whistler from Alberta after learning Riggs was missing.
Riggs' most recent communication with those friends came in the form of a text sent at 1:12 p.m. on Aug. 23, the day she went missing. "The last message we got was 'love you,'" they explained. "We are all holding that last message close to our hearts."
Whistler RCMP first issued a news release asking for the public's help to find Riggs on Wednesday morning. At the time, police said they were concerned about Riggs' "mental wellness." Since, authorities, search and rescue volunteers and community members have been searching the area for any sign of Riggs, with the help of search dogs and helicopters.
Her friends have also been tackling as many trails and as much terrain as they've been able to, in an attempt to retrace any steps Riggs could have taken. "We only have the last known location of her vehicle to go on at this moment. Along with the hard reality that she has been struggling with her mental health," they wrote.
The group said Riggs is a "very avid hiker," adding, "She is smart and never leaves without being prepared and telling someone."
Billings, Nordeen, Brien, Matthes, Strandlund, Dunn and Bekei ask Whistlerites to continue keeping an eye out for Riggs in Whistler and throughout the Sea to Sky corridor, to keep sharing her name and photo daily and to keep raising awareness about her disappearance.
They also encourage motorists and homeowners to check dash cams and home security cameras for footage of Riggs or her vehicle, a silver Toyota RAV4, captured between 1 and 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Riggs' friends expressed their gratitude to the many local businesses that have already hung missing person posters in their windows.
Riggs is Caucasian with a fair complexion, brown eyes, long, straight brown hair and a slim build. She stands at five feet (152 cm) tall and weighs approximately 119 lbs (54 kg). According to friends, she was last seen wearing black spandex Nike shorts, a dark blue/grey T-shirt, grey/teal running shoes and carrying a black Helly Hansen backpack. She also has several easily-identifiable tattoos.
Born in Maple Ridge, B.C., Riggs has spent much of her life in Calgary, but according to her friends, "her heart is always in travelling around the world."
She currently works for Whistler Blackcomb. Riggs moved to the resort approximately eight months ago after spending some time with family in Vancouver, coming to Whistler in search of a change from her typical routine as a ticketed auto body technician, "and to have more access to travellers like her to fulfill her wanderlust," her friends explained.
"Clorrica may be pint sized but she fills a room with her smile, and her ability to connect with anyone. You will always find her being active—yoga, kayaking, hiking, and her new hobby rock climbing. She loves making videos of her memories, being around her friends, family and her cats," they added.
"Clorrica is our rock, she would never let too many days go by without checking in, she would drop anything to be with any of us whenever we needed help. Pulling our taro[t] cards and sending the funniest videos of herself or writing us the most beautiful poetry," the friends' email continued.
"Most of us have cherished her as our best friend for around [eight] years. She means the absolute world to all of us and everyone she meets she changes their lives."
Whistler RCMP asks anyone with any information about Riggs to contact the local detachment at 604-932-3044, or get in touch with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or solvecrime.ca to remain anonymous.
