Comox Valley RCMP are issuing a plea for information as the 30th anniversary of the disappearance of Lindsey Nicholls approaches.
Lindsey was 14 when she vanished on Aug. 2, 1993, police said.
She was last seen walking east along Royston Road south of Courtenay about 10:30 a.m. on her way to visit friends. She was wearing blue jeans, a khaki top and white canvas shoes.
Despite an exhaustive investigation, including police zeroing in on two rural sites in 2016 and 2011, she has not been found.
To mark the anniversary, Lindsey’s mother, Judy Peterson, is launching a campaign to generate tips and bring attention to the case, including posting of billboards around the Comox Valley.
“Someone out there knows something and I’m hoping this exposure will convince them to come forward with any piece of information that could help us,” Peterson said. “We all love [Lindsey] so much and the not knowing is so difficult.”
In an article this month for the Missing Children Society of Canada, Peterson wrote that she is now in her late 60s and is “terrified” that she will die without knowing what happened to her daughter.
The case is still an active investigation, said Cpl. Matt Holst of the Comox Valley RCMP Major Crime Unit, adding tips continue to come in and each one is “diligently” followed up.
“This case has never been forgotten,” he said. “The passage of three decades has not diminished our determination to find answers and provide closure to Lindsey’s family and friends, who have endured an agonizing wait for resolution.”
In the years following the disappearance, Peterson advocated for the inclusion of missing persons’ DNA in the national DNA databank for crime scenes and serious offenders, so they can be cross-checked.
Her efforts led to the 2014 passage of “Lindsey’s Law,” a ground-breaking piece of legislation that expanded the national DNA databank to include missing-persons DNA.
The Comox Valley RCMP and Lindsey’s family are asking the media, community leaders and others “to join hands and amplify our collective voice.”
They said that news coverage and social media attention can revitalize public attention and possibly uncover new leads.
Anyone with information about the disappearance is asked to call Comox Valley RCMP at 250-338-1321 or the Missing Children Society of Canada at 1-800-661-6160.
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