Summary based on the NamUs case record (can2012000299) and
1 other sourceIn the days leading up to Christmas in 2011, a time typically filled with family and celebration, Cheryl Lee Rowe, a 45-year-old mother of two, vanished from Richmond Hill, Ontario. She was last seen by her family just after midnight on December 22, 2011. The day before she went missing, Cheryl had been Christmas shopping with her daughter, Kristina, and had made plans to meet her later that evening to give her a bag of fresh clothes.
Cheryl, who was known to be very close with her family and always in contact, left a residence on Browndale Crescent after a car picked her up. She had intended to visit a friend before meeting her daughter, but she never arrived at their planned meeting spot. When she failed to show up for Christmas festivities, leaving behind the gifts she had already purchased and wrapped, her family knew something was seriously wrong and reported her missing on Christmas Day.
The investigation into Cheryl's disappearance quickly escalated, with York Regional Police expressing concerns for her well-being. Investigators learned that after leaving her brother's house, she may have been headed to the home of a former boyfriend on Rathfon Crescent. It is believed she made it to that residence, but what happened after that remains unclear. As the days turned into weeks with no sign of Cheryl, the case was turned over to the homicide unit, as police began to suspect she had met with foul play. At the time of her disappearance, Cheryl was wearing dark blue jeans, a baby blue winter jacket, a white baseball cap with a green leaf on it, and purple and black Adidas running shoes. She is described as being 4'11' tall and weighing around 125 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She also has a distinctive tattoo of wings on her upper back with the names 'Shane and Kristina.'.
Over the years, extensive searches were conducted by the York Regional Police in areas like Mill Pond and the greenbelt areas of Richmond Hill, but these efforts yielded no trace of Cheryl. The police have issued multiple media releases and, at various points, offered significant rewards for information that could help solve the case. Investigators have stated they believe there are people who have direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding her disappearance and have urged them to come forward. Cheryl's family, including her brother and two children, have been left with unanswered questions and the enduring pain of not knowing what happened to their loved one. The disappearance of Cheryl Lee Rowe remains an unsolved case, a somber mystery that began just before the holidays and has left a family searching for closure for over a decade.Last Seen: Dec 21, 2011
