The family of a woman who's been missing for a year and a half is tonight pleading to the public for answers about where she is. Debbie Hutchinson hasn't been seen since April of 2017.
John and Rose Hutchinson are trying to go about their daily lives with a walk along the Sydney boardwalk today, but in the back of their minds they can't help but wonder about Debbie.
“It's frustrating,” says John, Debbie Hutchinson’s brother. “It's really frustrating and it's not knowing where she's at or God forbid if she's alive or dead. It's really hard.”
Debbie Hutchinson hasn't been seen since Easter weekend of 2017.
Her burned-out car was found in a wooded area near her home.
Shortly after her disappearance, there were extensive searches done on the ground and in the air.
But the family says there hasn't been any new information since and they say they've even stopped hearing from police.
“And the question of if they're doing enough,” said Rose Hutchinson. “We don't know what they're doing, so we don't know if there's enough, or if there's anything. So we don't know what enough is.”
Cape Breton Regional Police say they continue to investigate, but the family says they haven't been told anything for months.
“But I think somebody does know something,” Rose Hutchinson said. “And I think whoever does, it's time to come forward. Whether it be through crime stoppers, sending a letter, something. They have to come forward.”
Police have said the circumstances around Debbie Hutchinson's disappearance are suspicious, but at the time said there was nothing to indicate foul play.
The family says her bank account has never been touched and her dog, who was always by her side, was found locked inside her home.
The not knowing is taking a toll on the family.
“We have a sister, a cerebral palsy victim,” said John Hutchinson. “She's in the manor in New Waterford and she misses her and thinks of her every night. And that's hard.”
The family hopes this plea for answers brings a happy conclusion, or at least closure to this a heart-breaking mystery.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kyle Moore.