Family, friends, and even complete strangers spent Saturday searching the city for missing 33-year-old Reid Bricker.
Nearly 150 people joined in the well-coordinated search that focused on the banks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers and in city parks.
Bricker went missing in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, October 24.
According to his family, Bricker lives with mental health issues and tried to take his own life the day before.
He briefly spent time that day in St. Boniface Hospital and later Winnipeg police took him to Health Sciences Centre.
"He was there on a Form 3, which means he was not there voluntarily,” said Bonnie Bricker, Reid’s mom. “The police signed him in on a Form 3 which means he cannot leave there unless the doctor or psych nurse sign him out."
According to the family, staff at HSC discharged Bricker just after 3:00 a.m. Saturday. In accordance with privacy protocols and Bricker’s wishes, hospital staff did not notify anybody.
"It's very inhumane to let a person go at that hour in the morning, whose tried to take their life, been in two different hospitals in the same day, brought in by police because they had such concerns,” said Bonnie Bricker.
“Based on concerns raised to us by the family, the care provided was reviewed and it was determined that appropriate care was provided and staff followed the safe discharge guideline,” reads a statement from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Bricker has an apartment in the Exchange District and Saturday’s search included a sweep of that neighbourhood.
According to police, Bricker is 5’8” with a thin build, short black hair and is unshaven.
He was last seen wearing a grey and black North Face jacket, a black hooded sweater, red t-shirt, black pants and black and grey shoes.
Anyone with information about Bricker is asked to call the Missing Persons Unit at 204-986-6250.
