When Morgan Henderson thinks back about her favourite things to do with her sister Erin, she thinks about their long drives.
She said they didn’t have any particular destination in mind but rather a love of being together, sipping coffee.
“The thing we used to do the most was we used to go for really long drives,” she said in a phone interview on Friday. “We loved to go for drives, get a coffee and drive everywhere, all around the city. We would do that for hours. That was the thing we like to do the most.”
Now, Henderson wonders where her sister could be.
Erin Brooks was last seen inside the St. Mary’s First Nation Smoke Shop, captured quickly on the security camera, but her family hadn’t seen her since Dec. 25, 2021.
It’s been a month since she went missing, and the family just wants to see her come home safely.
“Please get a hold of someone somehow,” Henderson said. “It doesn’t matter, if she’s afraid to come home after all this time, don’t be, because the pain that we’re going through and not knowing where she is, if she’s OK, it’s horrible. This is awful. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Henderson said her sister is fun, outspoken and very family-oriented. Brooks has four children.
“She’s very kind and caring,” Henderson said.
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In recent years, Henderson said, her sister’s mental health wasn’t the greatest and that weighs on her.
St. Mary’s First Nation Chief Allan Polchies says the community has rallied behind Brooks and her entire family. The council there put out a press release on Thursday.
It said it was pleading with brothers and sisters across Turtle Island to help bring Brooks home. The release quoted a post from Brooks’ Facebook page from 2018 on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
“I am a strong Maliseet woman. I am content. If there ever comes a time where I disappear, where I go for groceries and do not return. Where I go to run errands and do not return, please know: I did not voluntarily leave my family. I am not out partying. I did not go and commit suicide somewhere. If I DO NOT return home, know that someone took me against my will or worse. Do not make excuses as to WHY I may not have return home, because it is a lie. Look for me. Please,” her social media post read, according to the press release.
Polchies on Friday said the community has held vigils, and many community members are lighting candles and placing them in their windows to help guide Brooks home.
“I would just like to let Erin know that we are consistently praying for her, for her children, for her family and for everyone in our community,” he said on Friday. “We hope that she returns home safely and we’ll just continue to pray and hope the creator is watching over her and will bring her to the community.”
The Fredericton Police Force says the investigation into locating Brooks is ongoing.
Anyone with information about where Brooks might be is encouraged to call the Fredericton Police Force at 460-2300 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 if the person wishes to remain anonymous.
Brooks was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and black boots. She is five feet six inches tall, approximately 115 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair with bangs.
A reward is available through both Crime Stoppers and a GoFundMe page set up by the family and being supported by the community.
“Even the smallest tip, while you may not think it’s significant, may help us in the right direction,” said police spokesperson Alycia Bartlett. “We do believe that someone out there knows where Erin might be.”
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