Time doesn't heal all wounds.
Standing in front of the Estevan RCMP Detachment on July 8, Joy Struble, the mother missing her daughter Courtney, addressed the media, still visibly shaken about the sudden disappearance of her daughter, a nightmare that has lasted for 10 years now. The pain on her face was evident, as if the disappearance happened last night.
"Losing a child is like losing a limb, you learn to function without it, but everyday you miss it, and you mourn for it," she said.
Courtney, who would now be 23 years old, went missing in the early morning hours of July 9, 2004 after watching some movies with friends at the Estevan Veterinary Clinic. Her friends offered her a ride home just after midnight, but she decided to walk. She never made it home and has not been seen since. The case began as a missing person investigation, but by 2009, investigators believed that Courtney had been murdered.
A significant determining factor in labelling the case as a homicide had to do with the fact that Courtney left everything of value at home, and has not used her health card or bank card since.
"If you look at a 13-year-old girl, that's out on her own, she left her residence, and she had nothing with her. She left everything she owned at her home," said RCMP Historical Case Unit Cpl. Larry Kurtenbach. "Nothing has been used since, there has been no communication since then. We're talking about a 13-year-old girl here, it's just not reasonable to believe that she would get up and run away and leave those things behind."
As a result of their work to date, investigators have determined that upon leaving the clinic, Courtney made it back to Estevan. The search for information relating to her will now be centralized heavily in and around the City of Estevan, and residents can expect to see investigators conducting searches using technology that wasn't unavailable at the time of her disappearance. The RCMP will also be using an underwater recovery team to search bodies of water. Police are encouraging people in Estevan to check areas on, or nearby their properties for any clues.
"If you're searching out there folks, be careful. If you find something unusual or important, contact us and we'll take care of that but safety is paramount," stressed Kurtenbach.
Investigators hope a ground penetrating radar device, and an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with special cameras will help obtain some new information, or a body, something Courtney's mother is prepared for.
"There's always hope that some strange miracle can happen, but I think with the evidence the police have been able to collect, and the knowledge of her behaviours, and also gut feelings, tell us we have to prepare for the worst," she said.
The passage of time can cause potential witnesses or people of interest involved with the investigation to lose track of the events that transpired 10 years ago, but Kurtenbach said it sometimes allows new doors to open.
"It is a concern with any long-standing case or investigation, but it's a double-edged sword," he explained. "Sometimes the passage of time affects people's memory, but in many cases, that time change allows for changes in alliances with people, a change in attitude, or a change in circumstances that encourages them to come talk to the police."
Despite the multitude of tips, the most recent one relating to Courtney's disappearance coming in earlier this year on May 21, and the hundreds of interviews, no one has ever been placed in custody. Police encourage anyone who has information to come forward, a sentiment Courtney's mother strongly shares.
"Let's not make it 11 years," she said.
If you have any information, or see anything out of place, you can call the RCMP Historical Case Unit at 306-780-5582, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to provide an anonymous tip.
