ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — With people likely travelling more at home this summer, family and friends of some missing people hope it will help to find their loved ones.
“Keep your eyes and ears open,” begged Lisa Lake, mother of missing woman Cortney Lake.
A search of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) missing persons database identifies 30 active cases in Newfoundland and Labrador. The oldest case dates back to 1963.
The Telegram compiled a list of the five most recent cases, with details about what individuals were wearing or items they were carrying.
While people are camping, hiking or spending time outdoors this summer, they are asked to keep an eye out for any of the items associated with the missing people.
Tips can be made anonymously for any of the below cases by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, or visiting nlcrimestoppers.com. Tips can also be provided to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) by calling 729-8000.
Cortney Lake
Cortney Lake was last seen getting in the passenger side of Philip Smith’s truck just before 8 p.m. on June 7, 2017.
Smith was Lake’s ex-boyfriend, and he had court orders to stay away from her. She was never seen again after that, and her body has not been found. She was 24 years old at the time she went missing.
Smith was the only suspect in the RNC’s homicide investigation, but he died by suicide on Nov. 1, 2017.
Both police and Lisa Lake, Cortney’s mother, believe there are people Smith confided in who are withholding information.
“There are people that gave statements to the RNC, and they were deceitful,” said Lisa.
“They told lies. They tried to cover up for Philip. With further statements to the RNC it was proven that they were lying, and they were trying to cover up for Philip.
“There are people out there that know, and I plead and I beg to people — please, please come forward. You can do it through Crime Stoppers. I have said on my Facebook page, ‘Please, if you leave a note or something in a bathroom at the mall, or leave a note under somebody’s windshield — anything at all.’
“It’s absolutely sickening. And I say to these people: obviously you have a mother, or you have a daughter, you have a sister, you have a niece, you have a cousin, you have an aunt — put yourself in my shoes.”
Lisa is begging the public to keep an eye out for anything that might help locate her daughter, especially the following items that Cortney was wearing at the time she went missing:
• Grey parka with neon pink liner;
• Grey sneakers with neon pink laces;
• Pink plaid shirt;
• Black leggings;
• Eyeglasses;
• Guess purse and Guess wallet.
“I’m begging for anyone with any little piece of information that they may think may be totally irrelevant to Cortney’s case — no matter how small, a tip is a tip.”
Trevor Hamlyn
On June 16, 2018, 33-year-old Trevor Hamlyn walked out of his Paradise home and never returned.
Police say they know he left with a 750-millilitre bottle of Jameson whiskey and a 2-litre bottle of Big 8 ginger ale.
“If you happen to see these two items together, on a trail or roadside, that information could give us a useful indicator,” reads an RNC statement.
“Looking back to June 16th, 2018, if you recall any detail, no matter how minor it may seem, that may assist this investigation, we ask that you contact us. There are times when people may not report something because they think someone else may have reported it, or that it was such a small detail that it’s not important. However, it’s the small details and assistance from the public that can make a significant contribution to an investigation.”
Hamlyn’s sister, Ashley Hamlyn, said he had plans to party with his friends that night. She said the whiskey and ginger ale were likely inside a black backpack.
She said it’s also possible Trevor had with him a new cellphone, possibly a Samsung Galaxy, but it wasn’t activated.
Ashley said there are a few suspicious details around this case, such as a cut to Trevor’s arm not long before he went missing that she believes was some kind of a warning to him. As well, one of his old cellphones ended up in the woods in the area of the first search effort in 2018. Ashley believes it was put there on purpose as a distraction because dog trackers never found a scent of her brother in the area.
She believes someone knows what happened to Trevor.
“I can’t believe that someone could not say something, and especially after so long. Like, not even to give an anonymous tip so we can have closure. I don’t even really need to know what happened to him. I just want to know where he is.”
Jennifer Hillier-Penney
Jennifer Hillier-Penney was 38 years old when she went missing from the St. Anthony home of her estranged husband, Dean Penney, on Nov. 30, 2016.
According to the RCMP’s missing persons website, it’s believed she went missing around 8 p.m. that evening, and that her personal belongings — including her cellphone, purse, shoes and jacket — were left behind.
Her car was in the driveway, the keys in the ignition. There was no sign of a struggle, no evidence of anything out of place.
Hillier-Penney had moved out of the house months earlier after she and Penney separated, but that night Penney was away on a duck-hunting trip at his cabin about 45 minutes away. Hillier-Penney had come to the house on Husky Drive to stay with their daughter, which she often did when Penney was away.
A week after she was last seen, the RCMP issued a news release stating they considered her disappearance suspicious.
To date, no one has been charged.
An emailed statement from the RCMP said the investigation remains active.
“All tips and any new information received are being pursued,” reads the statement.
“Police do feel there are people who may have information relevant to the investigation who have not come forward. The RCMP encourages anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to make contact with the RCMP.”
People can call the major crime unit at 709-637-4420 or the St. Anthony detachment at 709-454-3543.
Melvin Hillier
Melvin Hillier was last seen on Sept. 23, 2018 at his home in Torbay about 11 a.m.
According to information on the RNC’s website, Hillier told his family he was going for a drive, which was not unusual for him, but he didn't return. His family reported him missing later that day.
His blue pickup truck was located abandoned on the MV Legionnaire, one of the Bell Island ferries.
Surveillance video on the ferry shows Hillier walking around the lounge area of the ferry during the 1:45 p.m. crossing. He was last seen on the video between 1:50 p.m. and 1:57 p.m. while the ferry was midway between Bell Island and Portugal Cove.
No one saw him walk off the ferry.
He was last seen wearing jeans, a blue windbreaker jacket, a T-shirt and glasses.
A search of the water and nearby coastlines did not turn up any sign of Hillier.
Apu Akbar
Apu Akbar was 58 years old when he was reported missing on Nov. 8, 2018.
Residents in the area of Kavanagh’s Lane and Windgap Road in Flatrock called police to report a grey Honda Civic that appeared to be abandoned in the area.
According to information on the RNC’s website, police learned from residents that a man was seen standing by the car on Nov. 6, 2018, looking at the ocean.
A search of the car showed that Akbar was the registered owner, and that his cellphone was in the car, and the keys were still in the ignition.
A search of the water and nearby coastline did not locate him.
Akbar’s roommates told police they last saw him on Nov. 6, 2018 at his home in St. John’s.
He may have been wearing glasses at the time of his disappearance.
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