Distraught husband gets help from Drag the Red

PodgeDimagiba knows he's in a race against time to find his wife who has been missing sinceSunday night.

Hehas been walking around the River Heights neighbourhood where he lives with Zhimin(Maggie) Liu,putting up flyers desperate to find her.

• Missing Winnipeg woman last seen in River Heights, police say
• Boat wanted: Worried Winnipeg man asks for help finding his missing wife

On Tuesday,Dimagibamade a plea on Facebook for anyone who has a boat to help search along the Red River.Kyle Kematch with Drag the Red contacted DimagibaWednesday after hearing his story on the news.

"It was a call for help and for someone who knows the Red River to please come forward and help. I know the Red. When someone puts out a plea for help, this is the right thing to do," said Kematch.

Kematch is a community member who volunteers his time to drag the Red for traces of missing and murdered people. His own sister has been missing for six years. But Kematchwon't be going out in arecently acquired motorboat.

• Drag the Red sets out on new boat to search fast-moving waters

Instead, hehas rented a canoe sayingthe water near River Heights is shallow and rocky and could damage themotorboat. He plans to be in the water this afternoon starting at The Forks.

"I told the husband don't expect results in one day," said Kematch. "I am not guaranteeing that I will find anything. I am just guaranteeing that I will help you.

"I just don't want him to lose hope. And that's easy to do. Knowing people care and are doing something helps."

Dimagiba said he'smoved by the kindness of strangers.

"This is awesome, I mean wow. This whole community, it's just unheard of," said Dimagiba. "Everybody is being so helpful and supportive. I didn't know how I would do this all myself."

He knows Winnipeg police are doing their best in looking for hiswife, searching theAssiniboineRiver down to The Forks from their Academy Road house. He wantsKematchto search the water flowing north from the Red River.

Liu's husband doesn't plan on being in the canoe. He says he will stay home and co-ordinate the ground search by recruiting more volunteers and distributing more flyers. What bothers him the most is that his wife leftin the middle of the night while he was sleeping.

"She has no money. She left her wallet, all her credit cards. She is only wearing a very thin coat and to the best of my knowledge she doesn't have anything on her feet," said Dimagiba.