Three years after her disappearance, the father of missing Moncton woman Jami Springer continues to keep the hope of discovering what happened to his daughter.
Her disappearance is being treated as suspicious by RCMP. However, new information has surfaced in the unsolved case.
Brent Springer has been living with grief and uncertainty for 1,096 days since his daughter went missing on August 10, 2016. He likens his experience during the following years to a game of Snakes and Ladders.
"When our hope is strong, we're climbing the ladder. Then, far too often, when we hear hearsay and stories from the streets, we seem to slide down that shoot or snake,” says Springer. “That’s when the despair is magnified."
Last seen on McLaughlin Drive in Moncton, Springer’s disappearance has been deemed suspicious by the RCMP. While her family continues to hold out hope of discovering what happened to her, they say hope is fading.
"Presently, I think we as a family have come to the conclusion that she isn’t returning,” says Springer. “We've come to the conclusion that she has probably met her demise."
During August, the most painful month of the year for the family, they are coming to terms with the likely reasons behind her disappearance.
"We believe that her acquaintances and her lifestyle played a major factor in her demise," says Springer.
Despite losing hope of their daughter returning, Springer is still hoping for closure – especially for the sake of his 8-year-old granddaughter.
"One time her daughter said, 'People keep telling me that my mom is in my heart, and if she’s in my heart, that means she’s not with us anymore,'" says Springer.
Springer is commemorating his daughter with a new tattoo – a purple heart emoji. Accompanying the emoji tattoo is a pause/play button, symbolic of Springer’s life on pause, but “playing on in the far beyond.”
Springer continues to demand anyone with credible information come forward.
"Not hearsay, not third-party information,” says Springer. “Contact Crime Stoppers first, if you’re interested in the $12,000 award – then contact the Codiac RCMP."
While attention on the case has faded over the years, Springer says new information has come to light – giving him hope of closure.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kate Walker