CANADA • Stephanie NEUMANN, 16 ~ Abbotsford BC

Stephanie NEUMANN is 5’6” tall with straight blonde hair and a thin build.

May 5, 2011 - In the early morning hours of April 28, 2011 sixteen year old Stephanie NEUMANN packed a small amount of clothing and left her family home. Her family is extremely concerned and the Abbotsford Police Department has been actively investigating this incident for the past week. Stephanie had celebrated her birthday just days earlier and this behaviour is completely out of character.

It is believed that a contributing factor to Stephanie’s decision to leave home was the fact that the family had taken in a 35 year old male drifter in an attempt to assist him in finding stability and employment. That man ultimately stayed with the family for a period of six months and left the home approximately ten days before Stephanie NEUMANN was reported missing. In some of the time the man and Stephanie spent together she was introduced to panhandling. We believe that she may presently be engaged in that activity as a means to provide for herself.

Anyone who observes her is asked to contact their local police department immediately. Anyone with information about this investigation should contact the Abbotsford Police at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Missing Abbotsford teen may be trying to unite with 35-year-old drifter
Parents terrified for daughter and betrayed by stranger they helped
May 5, 2011


Stephanie Neumann, 16, has been missing from her home in Abbotsford since April 28
and may be trying to meet up with a 35-year-old man on Vancouver Island that her family befriended.


Henriette and Ron Hanefeld issue a plea for information about their 16-year-old daughter
Stephanie who went missing from Abbotsford April 28.

Two Abbotsford parents are frantic over their missing 16-year-old daughter who may be trying to meet up with a drifter the family befriended and took into their home.

Henriette and Ron Hanefeld's daughter Stephanie vanished in the early hours of April 28.

The couple, who are devout Christians, fear the teen may already be with, or trying to join, the 35-year-old man they tried to help out.

Ron broke down in tears when talking about his daughter.

"I feel so guilty for bringing the man home. I'm supposed to be the protector of the family," he said.

"We're really, really worried. She's with him; I know that for sure."

Ron met the friendly and engaging stranger after picking him up as a hitchhiker while driving to Kamloops in September.

The man had all sorts of hard luck stories, and Ron felt compelled to do something.

"I wanted to help put him back on his feet. I invited him in just for a week or so, but he was so friendly and outgoing and great with the kids."

The man ultimately stayed with the family for six months and left the home approximately ten days before Stephanie was reported missing.

The drifter, who had been charming during the winter, became more distant as warm weather began to set in, said Ron.

Things came to a head not long ago when the parents discovered the man had taught their daughter to panhandle.

"We put a stop to that," said Henriette.

Stephanie had celebrated her birthday days before disappearing.

"All her birthday stuff is there. . .the balloons. Her bed's not made...," said her dad.

"A lot goes through your mind. We're praying she's safe," said Henriette, adding Stephanie's four siblings are also distressed by her disappearance.

"Her 12-year-old sister is crying and not functioning in school. The younger kids don't understand what's going on."

The couple feel betrayed by the man they did a good turn for.

"She's not a party girl," said Henriette.

"I think he lured her out of the house."

"We tried to help this guy out," said Ron.

"You pour your life out to him, and then you find out stuff that's not true."

He hopes the man will send Stephanie home if she is with him.

"He needs to put himself in our spot. He saw when living with us that we were a happy family," said Ron.

Abbotsford Police Const. Ian MacDonald said investigators have no indication of where Stephanie might be as her cell phone is turned off, and she has made no contact with any family or friends over the Internet or on Facebook.

Police in Victoria and outside of Nanaimo have recently made contact with the drifter, but he told them he has no idea where the missing teen is.

"We know this man is on the Island right now, and we strongly feel the young girl is either there as well, or trying to make her way there," said MacDonald.

Stephanie may be panhandling along the way to gather funds.

The teen girl may be naive to the situation she finds herself in, he said.

"This kid is a little on the sheltered side, but now has visions of grandeur about getting a car and a successful life started."

Police aren't identifying the man at this stage of the investigation.

"There's nothing particularly alarming about the man's background," said MacDonald,

"But every time you have a 16-year-old missing, as her parents described, you mind can go to unimaginable places."

Investigators are hoping that Stephanie, who has her laptop computer, might be spotted in an Internet cafe or wireless hot spot.

Stephanie's parents say all they want is their daughter to come home or let them know she's all right.

"We're not mad at her. We all miss her," said her mom.

The teen is five feet six inches tall with straight blonde hair and a thin build.

Anyone who sees her is asked to contact the local police department immediately.

Anyone with information about the investigation should contact the Abbotsford Police at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/Missing+Abbotsford+teen+trying+unite+with+year+drifter/4734927/story.html

UPDATE May 7, 2011

Stephanie Neumann: LOCATED

Stephanie Neumann turned herself in to police on Vancouver Island Saturday.
Nanaimo RCMP said she was in good health when she came into the detachment.


snipped . . . . .Victoria Police had a brief encounter with the drifter while he was panhandling on April 21. He was stopped again by Nanaimo Mounties on May 3.

While he and the teen were not together on Wednesday, Abbotsford police Const. Ian MacDonald told ctvbc.ca he has no doubt they were in contact, if not staying together.

"He materializes there, and now she comes out of nowhere. I don't for a second believe that it's a coincidence these two people that have separate lives and left Abbotsford on separate days ended up in the same city at the same time," MacDonald said.

Mounties were arranging for Stephanie to be taken back to her family on Saturday evening.

MacDonald believes the teen went to police after realizing she couldn't travel with her "mentor" without attracting the attention of authorities, not to mention the thousands of people who had seen her face on the news.

Meanwhile, a man identifying himself as Mark De Hamel contacted CTV News on Saturday by telephone to say that he hadn't had any contact with Stephanie since leaving the Hanefeld home.

De Hamel said he sent several text messages to the teen after she ran away, but she never replied. De Hamel said he had nothing to do with her leaving home, and believed she was experiencing family problems that pushed her out.

MacDonald doesn't believe it was a coincidence that the drifter contacted media outlets the same day Stephanie turned herself in.

"I think media attention caused both of these individuals to come forward," he said.

Investigators will now try to piece together where Stephanie has been for the last nine days, with a strong focus on linking her to the panhandler.

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