Search for B.C. couple missing 5 weeks expands to include friend

RCMP are now linking the mysterious disappearance of a B.C. couple fiveweeks ago to the disappearance of a third person around the same time.

Themissing people include a married couple, and a man RCMP call the husband's"friend and associate," who shares his Romanian ancestry.

Mihai Vornicu, 44, his wife,Marie Olarte,58, and Robert Dragoescu, 32,were last seen together in the Mission/Maple Ridge areajust beforeJuly 25, according to police.

An abandoned vehicle that turned out to beVornicu'sVolvo station wagon was towed froma street on July 26 in Williams Lake, 500 kilometres to the north.

Vornicu and his wife own property about 100 kilometres from Williams Lake, in Likely.

RCMP Cpl DanMoskaluksaid investigators areconcerned by the abandoned vehicle andthe length of time the trio have been missing.

Dragoescuwas in contact with family members on a weekly basis and his disappearance was "extremely uncharacteristic," according to police.

Investigators are also concerned for Olarte's well being, since the four-foot tall womanhas a healthcondition that may requireregular medical monitoring.

Police can'trule out foul play

"Wehave not ruled out the possibility of foul play," saidRCMPCpl DanMoskaluk, "but we don't have any concrete evidence that suggests foul play."

"They have not been located," said Moskaluk."We're starting to exhaust the information that we have."

The case is complex, according to police, because the trio have ties to many parts of B.C. including the Cariboo, the Lower Mainland, and Vancouver Island.

Missing couple last seen at these 3 locations