By Dan Ferguson
Staff Reporter
Dec 22 2006

All Mike and Sandra Stalman want for Christmas is their daughter Brittany’s safe return.The 17-year-old hasn’t been seen or heard from since she walked out of the family home in the 7400 block of Crawford Drive in North Delta on Nov. 13.“We just don’t know,” mother Sandra Stalman said. “That’s the hardest part.”The North Delta couple made a public plea to their oldest child on Thursday.“Please phone us, or phone a friend,” Mike Stalman said. Brittany went for a walk with her pink portable CD player about 1 p.m. to calm down after a telephone argument with a boyfriend. She didn’t take any money with her, and she has made no attempt to access her bank account in the five weeks since. While Brittany has a history of occasional depression, her mother said her daughter was responding well to treatment.Going for a walk to recover from something upsetting was a coping device Brittany learned in counselling, Sandra Stalman said. Other than normal disagreements, Brittany wasn’t fighting with either parent, they said, describing her as a much-loved “Daddy’s girl” who was not especially rebellious. Delta Police Const. Sharlene Brooks said police were “cautiously optimistic,” but the tips generated by an initial police request for assistance have failed to turn up strong leads. Brittany is a slim 5’6” 110 lbs. with long brown hair (with blonde streaks) and brown eyes. She tends to amble at a slow pace when walking with her headphones on and has a distinctive way of standing like a dancer with her feet turned out to the sides. She was last seen wearing a black zip-up bomber-style jacket, grey sweat pants, possibly with lettering on the back and blue and white Puma runners. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Delta Police at 604-946-4411.