As the investigation into the disappearance of Catie Miller continues, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Halifax for a candlelight vigil Tuesday evening.

The vigil began around 8 p.m. in the city’s Grand Parade. More than 300 people united in song and reflection to support Miller’s family.

The 29-year-old Dartmouth woman last spoke to her family on July 15. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Miller’s parents were at the vigil to speak to the public’s support and to offer their thanks.

“My heart cannot find rest while she is gone.  Everything has lost its colours since she is not here.  I miss my daughter,” said Miller’s mother, Terry Miller. “In short, I feel like I am nothing without her. No one realizes until you lose a child what the pain is like. It never leaves. It is just constantly there like a weight on your heart.”

The vigil took place just hours after investigators confirmed a cellphone connected to the case had been turned over to police. However, investigators won’t confirm who turned over the phone and won’t say if there is video of the person.

“An item has been turned over to Dartmouth Sportsplex on Sunday. It has been turned over to police. It is in relation to the Catie Miller disappearance,” said Halifax Regional Police Const. Pierre Bourdages Tuesday afternoon.

“The circumstances in how the item was turned over to the Sportsplex, and the item itself is being investigated.”

Miller’s family said she moved into an apartment close to the Dartmouth Sportsplex in April.

They also said the new piece of evidence has brought them some hope.

“Hopefully, it will contain a bunch of information, if it is the right cellphone, and will give the police more to work with.  I think that would be a significant find,” said her father, John Miller.

He last heard from her on July 15. He said she called him on her cellphone from her apartment before 11 a.m. However, he said there were other calls made afterwards, including one to a cab company.

“It was used several times between 11 and 2:45 and once after the cab was called,” said John Miller.

However, he said it isn’t clear who was making the calls.

“I have been wondering, because the cab driver said it was not her that he picked up, whether she was in possession when the cab was called.”

Bourdages said the discovery of the cellphone doesn’t change the nature of the investigation, but there may be information on the phone that will help locate her.

Miller is described as a white female with brown shoulder-length hair and grey eyes. She is about five-foot-eight and weighs 130 pounds.

Police said her ears are pierced and she has no known tattoos. She often wears her hair in a ponytail.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Priya Sam and Rick Grant