'You don't ever really forget about it': Searching for Mackenzie Lee Trottier

Paul Trottier says he last saw his 22-year-old daughter Mackenzie four days before Christmas in Saskatoon when she left the house and hopped in a ride hailing vehicle.

"When she was leaving she was not under duress, or angry or anything."

Trottier said he and his wife Gina became alarmed Christmas Eve when Mackenzie didn't show up for the holiday and stopped being active on her phone. 

"This is very unusual for her, so we knew that something was up," he said.

The Trottiers spoke with Mackenzie's two younger sisters and circle of friends to find out whether she'd reached out, as she'd done in the past when gone for a couple of days.

Nothing.

Paul scoured the area on north Idylwyld Drive where Mackenzie had been dropped off and, finding no trace of her, contacted police to file a missing person report.

Since then his life has edged on the surreal, he said.

• Saskatoon police seek mystery man in disappearance of Mackenzie Lee Trottier

Trottier owns an art supply store that he's trying to manage during a pandemic. He said the day-to-day demands of running the retail outlet provide a distraction, save for when people come into the store wanting to offer support or help.

He is also a well-known landscape painter. He said taking brush to canvas in the store's basement studio has offered respite, up to a point.

"You don't really ever forget about it," he said.

"It's easy to get lost in what you're doing with painting because you really have to turn off what you're doing everywhere else and focus on what you're doing in front of you. So it's a disconnect of sorts, and although the time periods are shorter now, at least I have that time." 

On Wednesday, Saskatoon Police released a photograph of an unidentified man they want to speak with about Mackenzie.

They also released surveillance footage showing the man.

"The footage was captured in late December in the 1400-1600 block of Idylwyld Drive North," Police spokesperson Julie Clark said in an email.

"At this point in the investigation, we are not able to disclose why investigators believe this individual may have information on the case."

Trottier said every day is its own trial.

"It's been over 50 days now and it's jarring every single day. Every single day's a heartache," he said.

"We are always hopeful that we're going to see her walk back in, and we're waiting for that."