Search party underway for missing teen in Surrey park

A search party was organized in a Surrey park to look for a missing teen Saturday.

The family of 18-year-old Joseph Maku, who has been missing since Oct. 22, organized the event in the hopes of bringing him back home.

“The plan is for everyone to meet at Holland Park. From there everyone will be divided into groups, and will have a designated area to put posters up, chat with people in the area, and potentially find clues regarding Joseph,” Maku’s sister, Brenda Maku, said in a social media post.

“If you want to take the bus, or walk around, or drive, the choice is all yours.”

Brenda says she first began to worry about her brother when he didn’t return home after telling their younger siblings he was going to be back.

“So on Wednesday [Oct. 23] morning, at around, like 2 or 3 a.m., I ended up calling the missing persons line and reporting him as missing.”

Brenda says it is shocking that he has still not been found.

“I think now we’re starting to feel a little more desperate,” she said. “We’re hoping to find something, anything that could lead us to finding Joseph.”

Police say Joseph Maku was last seen boarding a number of buses between 120th Street and King George Boulevard.

Joseph reportedly took the following bus trips:

3:48 pm – Route 314 Location Stop Point: 60654 – King George Station Bay #1
4:10 pm – Route 316 Location Stop Point: 55065 – Eastbound on 100 Avenue at 128 Street
4:11 pm – Route 316 Location Stop Point: 55074 – Westbound on 100 Avenue at 129A Street
4:29 pm – Route 314 Location Stop Point: 55007 – Southbound on 124 Street at 96 Avenue
4:47 pm – Route R6   Location Stop Point: 54975 – Northbound on Scott Road at 92 Avenue
4:52 pm – Route 316 Location Stop Point: 54920 – Westbound on 96 Avenue at Scott Road
5:20 pm – Route 316 Location Stop Point 55055 – Northbound on 116 Street at 90 Avenue
6:26 pm – Route 319 Location Stop Point 55202 – Southbound on Scott Road at 93A Avenue

The 18-year-old is described as 6’5″, 200 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and braces. He was wearing a black hoodie with ‘GAP’ written in white text on the front, black North Delta Huskies basketball shorts, and black and white basketball shoes at the time of his disappearance.

“A little about Joseph: he’s an 18-year-old first-year student at UBC, studying kinesiology,” Brenda said.

“He loves basketball and has always been such a social, outgoing, intelligent, and adventurous person. His disappearance continues to have an impact on so many different communities, and we all want to do anything we can to bring him home safe and sound.”

The search began at 11 a.m. Saturday in Holland Park.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Joseph is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 and quote file 2024-157805.

With files from Charles Brockman.