Authorities have halted the search for an elderly person who went missing in B.C.’s Lower Mainland last week as loved ones grappled with the heartbreaking uncertainty surrounding her disappearance.

Jane Whitehouse was last seen leaving her home in the Aldergrove section of Langley Township around 10 a.m. Friday, and the 82-year-old Dodge Grand Caravan was found on a remote service road two days later.

“We’re all questioning why the vehicle is there because it’s not somewhere it would normally be,” said Melanie Sora, a family friend.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

For days, search parties searched the area where the vehicle was found along an East Harrison forest road, about a 90-minute drive from Whitehouse’s home, but found no sign of it.

In the absence of new leads, Langley RCMP said Wednesday that search teams are resigning until new information becomes available to help them target their efforts.

But investigators are still looking for witnesses and have urged anyone with information to come forward immediately.

“We are deeply concerned for Jane’s well-being,” Cpl. Zynal Sharoom said.

Sharoom said the RCMP is still treating the case as a missing person investigation, but added authorities are “not ruling out” any possibility.

Sora described his missing friend as “lively” and “very lively”, with a “wicked sense of humor”, and also someone who cared about everyone around him.

Sora said Whitehouse’s sudden disappearance was a tremendous pain for his loved ones.

“It’s not just stress and anxiety, it’s traumatic,” he said. “At the same time, this is a very private thing you’re going through, but it’s also very public.”

On Tuesday, Langley RCMP released a new photo of Whitehouse, showing him in the distinctive green jacket he was wearing at the time of his disappearance. Authorities hope the jacket might jog someone’s memory of seeing him since his disappearance on October 25.

Jane Whitehouse, 82, was last seen on October 25, 2024, wearing a distinctive green jacket. (Distribute)

“If anyone has seen it from Langley to the forest service road, we want to hear from you,” Sharoom said.

Whitehouse is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, of medium build and gray-blonde hair. Anyone with information can contact local police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Files from CTV News Vancouver’s Shannon Paterson