Markham, Ont., realtor Yuk-Ying (Anita) Mui, whose mysterious disappearance on Aug. 9 has baffled police and colleagues, was a high-flying agent celebrated among her firm’s top performers a day before she went missing.
“She’s good at what she does,” said Eric Tang, who’s known Ms. Mui professionally for nearly 20 years. He said he spoke to her at the event for leading agents and praised her on a deal worth upward of $10-million.
“She did a nice big transaction – I congratulated her,” he said.
The next day, Ms. Mui, 56, was reported missing by her family after she left her home in Markham that morning and never returned. Her vehicle, a white 2024 Mercedes SUV, was found in a plaza parking lot a 15-minute drive from her home that afternoon, according to York Regional Police.
In a press release, the police expressed concern about her well-being and said her disappearance is being treated as suspicious.
Last Tuesday, investigators descended on a 10-acre wooded property in a sparsely populated part of Stouffville, Ont., east of Markham.
York Regional Police Constable Lisa Moskaluk said a property on Vandorf Sideroad near Highway 404 was identified as a location Ms. Mui was due to visit on Aug. 9. Marine and canine units were deployed to the vast property but Ms. Mui’s whereabouts remain unknown as of Sunday afternoon.
While the search on that site has died down, police cruisers are still stationed in front of the farm-style lot at 3821 Vandorf Sideroad, surrounded by dense woods and shallow ponds.
Brian Serroul, who lives across the road from the property, said Ms. Mui’s disappearance has the usually quiet and peaceful community on edge.
“All the neighbours are a little nervous, especially because they haven’t found anything yet,” he said, adding that the neighbourhood mostly consists of families.
According to Mr. Serroul, 3821 Vandorf Sideroad has stood vacant since he moved in across the road 10 years ago, with the exception of a farmer who rents out the field.
“They’re growing watermelon. They pick their own peas, green beans, corn, stuff like that,” he said. “It’s a huge property.”
But the house at the centre of the 10-acre lot – a four-bedroom, three-bath, sidesplit – has stood empty for most of the time Mr. Serroul has lived nearby and he’s never seen a “For lease” or “For sale” sign. Property records show that the house was last sold in 2016.
Mr. Serroul describes the neighbourhood as having the atmosphere of a campground or a farm – ”You can hear the roosters, the crickets, all kinds of stuff.”
But the daytime tranquility can become disquieting in the night.
“It gets really dark because there’s no streetlights. You can see all the stars,” he said. “It’s really quiet – you just sit down and you can hear the owls.”
While Mr. Serroul didn’t know of any tenants living at the property, he’s spoken to people who appeared to be prospective renters visiting the lot over the years. Records show that the house had been previously listed for lease but is currently off market.
Mr. Tang said he believes that Ms. Mui might have been showing the property to a prospective renter. Though there’s no record she was the listing agent, Mr. Tang said it’s not uncommon for agents to show properties listed by others.
In Markham, Ms. Mui’s colleagues continue to hold onto hope that she will soon be found. “I’m deeply concerned about her safety and pray for Anita’s safe return,” said Sunny Song, a colleague at Century 21 Atria, where Ms. Mui was an agent and broker.
“It’s a huge shock for all of us,” said Matthew Lee, another colleague of Ms. Mui’s, adding that she was well-known for being among the firm’s top 10 agents in Canada.
An Instagram account connected to Ms. Mui shows her listings for luxury homes and condo units alongside industrial and commercial properties. In January, Ms. Mui shared on her social media an award from Century 21 Atria placing her in the top one per cent at her firm for sales performance.
But Ms. Mui’s high-profile job may have also brought her legal troubles. In four court cases reviewed by The Globe and Mail, someone by the name of Anita Mui was identified, thrice as a defendant. The full records were not immediately available, and The Globe could not confirm how or if these cases were resolved.
While Mr. Lee feels that Ms. Mui’s disappearance was “totally random,” he added that it was strange that so many people have been going missing in Markham.
In March of last year, 53-year-old Markham real estate lawyer Isabella Dan went missing under what police called “suspicious circumstances.” Her whereabouts are still not known.
Last month, 57-year-old Markham woman Ying Zhang also disappeared. York Regional Police later charged a 26-year-old man with second-degree murder and indignity to a dead body in connection to Ms. Zhang’s disappearance.
In a press conference last Monday, Constable Moskaluk said that there is nothing to suggest, at this time, any link between Ms. Zhang’s and Ms. Mui’s disappearances.