Thelma Krull: Transit union offers $5K reward to boost search efforts
Police homicide unit now jointly investigating disappearance of 57-year-old woman, daughter says
Krull was last seen on Saturday. She went missing while on a walk in the north part of Transcona in the morning, police said.
Lisa Besser, Krull's daughter, confirmed Wednesday the Winnipeg Police Service's homicide unit is now working jointly with the missing persons unit to find her mother.
"The disappearance of Mrs. Thelma Krull is an event of great concern to her family and friends," John Callahan, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, said in a release Thursday.
"We at the Amalgamated Transit Union want to see a happy reunion."
Robert Krull, Thelma Krull's husband, has worked as a bus driver for Winnipeg Transit since 2007, Callahan said, adding he hopes the reward helps spark renewed search efforts.
Glasses found
On Wednesday, police released security footage from a home in the Harborview South area that shows Krull walking by just before 7:30 a.m. Investigators also found Krull's eyeglasses on a hill at the Valley Gardens Community Centre.
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Thelma Krull: Police locate missing woman's glasses near Valley Gardens
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Thelma Krull search: Police focus on Valley Gardens Community Centre
Besser said police told family they had received several new tips that are helping them sharpen the search. The rise in calls is giving family hope they will soon have answers about what happened to the 57 year old.
'Leader of our family'
The pair went to the Valley Gardens Community Centre Thursday after hearing that police found Krull's glasses.
"We're trying to get a vibe, I mean, what else do you do," said James Krull.
"We can't sit at home and not do anything, that's why we are here — to give family support. And we love the woman; she's like the leader of our family."
James Krull said he and the rest of the family are thankful for all of the support they have received.
Thelma Krull has developed survival skills through training in the past, James Krull said, adding family "just [doesn't] understand why they haven't come into play."
"We just don't know how a body disappears," James Krull said. "We're perplexed where to look and we sure [would] love to have some kind of a clue of where to start."
John de Graff Elementary
A group of friends and family searched for Krull again Thursday night. They focused on the area around John de Graff Elementary, and again in the Valley Gardens Community Centre area.
Dana Loeppky, a family friend of the Krulls, helped searched the grounds.
"I can't imagine what they are going through, so for me, this is what I feel I can do to help them," said Loeppky, who said she remains hopeful they will find Krull.
"No ground left untouched, we have to do what we have to do and this is an area that hasn't been searched yet."
Dawn Cumming, one of Thelma Krull's friends, said the group was looking for pieces of Krull's clothing or anything that didn't fit with the search area.
"We just have to stay positive and keep going. Thelma was a very, very positive person and she would have been out here helping anybody — whether they were someone she knew or not," said Cumming, who met Krull through Scouts Canada and has known her for 10 years.
"We just have to keep going and keep thinking that this is what Thelma would do for us, so we are going to do everything in our power to help her."
Cumming added that it's only a matter of time before someone finds an article of clothing or something else that belonged to Krull.
"We are just so saddened for her family and we [hope we] can find her quickly so this comes to a closure and they can get her back and move on."