NEW WATERFORD, N.S. -- Marking the anniversary of Debbie Hutchinson's disappearance is not something her family looks forward to.
They're still struggling, and seeking answers on how someone could vanish with very few clues.
"It's heartbreaking to see my dad, and my aunts go through this," says niece Amy Hutchinson. "It's heartbreaking for me. I try to be there for him, but I miss her too."
Amy Hutchinson was the first person to know something was wrong. When she went to her aunt's home, she says something wasn't right.
"I remember looking in the back door and I could see groceries on the floor," Amy Hutchinson says. "There was a bag of chips that were open, like spilled open on the floor and I thought that was really, really weird."
It was not long after, Debbie's car was found burned in a wooded area not far from her home.
It's been four years, and still the family and the police are no closer to finding her.
"We've continued to attempt to get into her technology, which unfortunately we haven't been able to get into yet," says Cape Breton Regional Police Staff Sgt. Bill Turner. "However, everything that comes in has been followed up."
Turner says there hasn't been any tips lately that police can move forward with.
Debbie Hutchinson was last seen on April 15th, 2017 in a Sydney drive-thru; 12 days later she was reported missing.
"It is very strange, but there's nothing to lead us at this point that it's anymore than a missing person," says Turner.
Debbie's brother, John, is urging anyone with information to come forward and bring the family some closure.
"I don't think she's alive, because you can't be alive and not be taking any money out of that account," said John Hutchinson. "How are you living?"
The family continues to searching for answers to their loved one's disappearance – one that remains very much a mystery.
