TEMISKAMING SHORES — Numbers don’t mean a whole lot when a mother has been missing her child for almost three decades, but September 29 marks the 29th year Melanie Ethier has been missing.
In a sit-down interview with Melanie’s mother Celine Ethier, she mentions how the heartache never goes away, but she remains hopeful someone will come through with the information she needs to solve her daughter’s disappearance all those years ago.
She does not wish to enter the 30th year without knowing where her daughter is.
Ethier was walking home from a friend’s house on September 29, 1996, when she vanished. There has been no trace of her for the last 29 years, despite pleas from the Ontario Provincial Police and Celine Ethier herself.
But as with any mother, Ethier is not giving up hope that one day she will have the answer to what happened to her 15-year-old daughter.
She has placed green ribbons on a tree at the New Liskeard waterfront to mark missing children and she has decorated the nearby Melanie Ethier basketball court with purple ribbons.
She says facing the 29th year of her daughter’s disappearance leaves her “pretty frustrated at this point. A lot of tips have gone to the OPP station and lots have been sent to me. I wish I could get back some of the old tips because it would be nice to try to connect things together. But I seriously feel that unless someone actually comes out and says where Melanie is, that my luck of finding her is very thin.”
She has done searches in the past to find her daughter and she says she needs specific locations for another search to take place.
“I need the real tip to come out with the real information as to what happened to Melanie. Somebody could always draw a sketch or a map to show me a location.”
She believes there are people living in this region that can help her find her daughter.
“The tip can be sent to me anonymously if they wish and my contact information is on my Facebook page. I have had tips from so and so, but I need the right one.”
She said a recent post on Facebook about a missing person at the lookout in New Liskeard upset her.
“Well of course I didn’t sleep that night and I was waiting for a call from the police to say if it was real or not. But eventually the police said it was false information.”
Celine expressed her frustration with trying to obtain information from police sources.
She says when she calls about the missing person case she is directed to the OPP headquarters in Orillia and can get no information from that location.
At times she gets a text from police in Orillia with a statement saying they are working on the case.
“This middle person stops me from having contact with a real police officer who is overseeing the case. This new program doesn’t help me at all.”
“In a way I wanted that Facebook post to be real so I could find Melanie. It’s been 29 long years and I want to find her. There is nothing happening and it is frustrating. It is just turning circles and I don’t care if someone goes to jail, it is for me to find Mel. I feel I am alone in this.”
She goes back to the case about two murders that had taken place in the area years ago, and she believes they may be connected to her daughter’s missing person case.
“I believe there is a lot of fear and that is why people are not talking. It is time, I want to find Mel.”
When the week of the anniversary of her daughter’s disappearance rolls around she says she feels drained and stressed.
“I am trying to keep things going putting posters up of Melanie, trying to show her face as much as possible.”
To pass on a tip about the Melanie Ethier missing person case contact Celine Ethier at the Facebook page called Let’s Work Together To Find Melanie Ethier.
POLICE STATEMENT
“As the anniversary of Melanie Ethier’s disappearance approaches, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) wishes to reaffirm our ongoing commitment to this case,” said the Temiskaming Detachment of the OPP in a statement.
“Melanie was last seen in New Liskeard on September 29, 1996, and even after nearly three decades, her disappearance remains an open investigation. We recognize the profound impact Melanie’s absence has had on her family, friends, and the community.
“The OPP continues its efforts to find answers and resolution. Our investigators are dedicated to following up on all new information, and we urge anyone who may know something – no matter how small it may seem – to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Temiskaming OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or submit a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
“The OPP remains dedicated in its commitment to finding the truth and providing answers for Melanie’s loved ones.”
