Search for Courtney Struble continues 10 years after disappearance
Estevan girl was 13 when last seen on July 9, 2004
Ten years after 13-year-old Courtney Struble was last seen in Estevan, Sask., police say they haven't given up on finding her.
Police spoke about the case Tuesday afternoon noting they are using aerial drones and ground-penetrating radar to try to find her.
Courtney's mother Joy was at the news conference and said she appreciated the effort the RCMP have put into the case.
"Losing a child is like losing a limb," she said. "You learn to function without it, but every day you miss it and you mourn for it."
Joy Struble also spoke about the ongoing questions surrounding the teen's disappearance.
"You need answers," she said. "And that's what we're hoping we'll get."
On July 9, 2004, Courtney Struble went to a friend's house and never came home. Police received numerous tips, but there have been no arrests and she was never found. Police believe they're dealing with a homicide.
Joy Struble said the family is anxious to learn what happened.
"Courtney deserves a burial, a proper burial. A proper resting place," she said. "And we deserve as a family to know where she is."
Her disappearance happened just days after another high-profile missing child case, that of five-year-old Tamra Keepness of Regina. Tamra has never been found either.
RCMP Notes on the case:
Ten years ago, Courtney Struble spent the evening watching a movie with a friend and his brother at a vet clinic on the outskirts of Estevan. When the movie was over, Courtney said she would walk back to her dad’s house. Her friend’s brother offered her a ride, Courtney said she would walk and left the house. This was the last time she was seen.
Courtney was reported missing the next day to the Estevan Police Service by her father and a missing person investigation began.
As a result of the investigation to date, we have determined that after she left the vet clinic, she made it back into the city of Estevan. At the time of her disappearance, Courtney had a part-time job cleaning a friend’s home in Estevan. She was to complete the job she had started earlier in the week and pick up her pay the weekend following her disappearance. She also had made plans to meet friends on Saturday. Additionally, none of her personal belongings were missing – her wallet, clothes, stuffed animals and make-up were all left behind at her home. Investigators have determined there has been no banking activity and her Saskatchewan Health Card has not been used. These facts are not consistent with a girl who ran away from home or chose not to have contact with her family.
Investigators have; however, determined that after Courtney left the vet clinic, she made it back into the city of Estevan. Investigators have spoken to the two people she spent the evening with at the vet clinic, and determined they were not involved in her disappearance through a variety of investigational techniques including polygraph examination.
Investigators believe that information relating to Courtney’s disappearance, including her body, is located in and around the city of Estevan.
- RCMP Media Release, July 8, 2014