Melissa Jeannette Ekkelenkamp was 44 when she walked away from the Alberta Hospital at 17480 Fort Road in Edmonton on July 6, 2011. She had been a patient there for about a week. At the time she was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 172 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing jeans and possibly sunglasses.

Concern was high from the start because she was thought to be at risk of harming herself. Family and friends organized search parties, distributed hundreds of leaflets, and canvassed the hospital grounds, the river valley and downtown Edmonton. Police search dogs, volunteers and a helicopter also searched the area. A reported sighting briefly raised hope when police announced she had been located, but that proved to be a mistaken identity.

Reports noted Melissa was one of 27 patients who had walked away from the facility since the previous November, prompting a provincial review of security at mental health sites. If anyone has information about Melissa’s whereabouts or remembers seeing her in July 2011, please share what you know.