'I need to find my son': N.S. mother desperate for answers a year after son's disappearance
A Nova Scotia mother is still desperately searching for answers a year after her son disappeared without a trace.
“It’s like he completely vanished. No trace whatsoever,” says Theresa Gray. “No social media, no using of his bank account, no answering texts or phone calls.”
Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Devon Marsman’s disappearance.
Halifax Regional Police say the teen was last seen in the Spryfield areaon Feb. 24, 2022 and reported missing to police on March 4, 2022. He was 16 at the time.
At that time, Halifax police said they had no reason to suspect foul play in Marsman’s disappearance.
However, police said in October that they believed his disappearance was suspicious.
“It should have been criminal, deemed suspicious right away,” says Gray.
Gray says her daughter saw the teen at home on Feb. 24, 2022, but that police have told her they have proof he ordered a taxi to his cousin’s house in Spryfield the next day.
Police would only tell CTV News that Marsman was last seen in Spryfield.
“If someone’s not holding him, I think harm has been done to him, and I need to find my son,” says Gray.
She says police did collect some evidence while searching a residence in the Spryfield area.
“I was told not long ago, they can’t specifically tell me what came back, but whatever came back, now it’s called hold evidence.”
Halifax Regional Police Const. John MacLeod tells CTV News he can’t release specifics about the case because it’s an ongoing investigation.
“But we can tell you we have been and continue to look into investigative avenues,” says MacLeod. “We are following up on tips that have been given to police.”
Gray says police and search-and-rescue scoured a pond in Spryfield last fall, though police would not confirm this to CTV News.
“I’m not sure what that search entailed or why they specifically went to Roach’s pond,” says Gray.
Devon Marsman, 16, was reported missing to Halifax Regional Police on March 4, 2022. (Halifax Regional Police)
Regardless, she says she has been consumed by the search for her son, often spending her days off work conducting her own search of the pond and the surrounding area.
Family and friends have held their own searches and vigils and plastered posters across the country over the last year.
Gray says she has been all over the Maritimes and even talked to psychics about her son’s disappearance.
Meanwhile, police are asking people who have information about the case to come forward.
“There are people still that haven’t provided information to us and that information could be very important,” says MacLeod.
The Nova Scotia Department of Justice is offering up to $150,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case, under its Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program.
Marsman, now 17, is described by police as African Nova Scotian, about five feet tall and 100 pounds, with blue-green eyes and short dark hair.
He was wearing a hoodie and jeans the last time he was seen.
Anyone with information about his disappearance is asked to call the Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program at 1-888-710-9090, Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.