New evidence seized
RCMP say they have released a car that was seized in connection with the Amber Kirwan murder investigation.
Sgt. Bridgit Leger, a media spokesperson for the RCMP, says police gathered evidence from the 2002 grey Chev Impala that will assist in their investigation.
Police seized the car in New Glasgow on November 7, but Leger would not comment on who owns the car, or say where it was released.
A second car remains in police custody in connection with the case. Police seized the blue 2008 Hyundai Elantra on Highway 6 in Caribou River around 8 p.m. Thursday.
Search completed at Heathbell home
Meanwhile, police have completed their search of a home in Heathbell. Investigators first executed a search warrant at the Hardwood Hill Road residence on November 8, and they remained on the scene for six days.
They completed their search around 7 p.m. Sunday and police say they discovered evidence that would assist in their investigation, but they would not say what those items were.
The 19-year-old woman was reported missing over the Thanksgiving weekend last month when she disappeared after a night out with friends.
Kirwan was last seen leaving Dooly's pool hall in New Glasgow around 1:30 a.m. October 9. Her boyfriend says she was supposed to walk up the street to Big Al's, a nearby convenience store, but she never showed up.
A surveillance tape released by Dooly's shows the teen leaving the pool hall, crossing the street, and making her way towards Big Al's store.
Surveillance tapes from Big Al's show her boyfriend's car in the parking lot, but Kirwan never appears on the tapes.
Police, RCMP divers and ground search and rescue teams conducted extensive searches throughout parts of Pictou County, including the Heathbell area, last month.
Police discovered Kirwan's remains on a logging trail, just off Heathbell Road on November 5.
Calls for memory wall to come down
Meanwhile, some community members are calling for a memorial wall erected as a tribute to the teen to be taken down.
Candles, notes, cards and other mementos adorn a stone wall across from Dooly's in downtown New Glasgow. It started out as a wall of hope while police searched for the teen, and transformed into a memorial after her remains were discovered.
But now some people say it's time for the mementos to be removed.
"I think maybe it is time to go," says area resident Anne Dewtie. "It served its purpose."
Dewtie has been visiting the wall every day to pick up garbage and empty water that fills the candle holders.
Vigils have been held for Kirwan at the spot, but the wall and property actually belongs to an elderly woman who passed away just one week before the teen disappeared.
The woman's son, Wayne Spears, says his family took no issue with the candles and signs while Kirwan was missing, but now that she has been laid to rest it may be time for the vigils to end on the property.
"That was a great thing that the community got together and showed support for that little girl, that was great," says Spears. "But now she's in God's hands, and she has her resting place. And that's where these candles and things should be."
Candles covering the wall have left a thick trail of wax across the stone, which will require high pressure hoses to clean up.
Spears also says beer cans and coffee cups have been left on the grass near the wall, and his mother's planters have been knocked off the step several times.
One vigil organizer says the community appreciates how the Spears' family has allowed them to use the wall, and they are hoping to come up with a more permanent plan which will honour Kirwan and also respect the Spears' private property.
"We have meetings set up that we've had set up with the town, to see what can be approved, if anything," says organizer Mariea Leil-Bowser.
Spears says he hopes people will come and clean up the wall, so they can collect their personal belongings.
"I would rather that people that put it there, because there's personal things that belong to these people, and I would rather them clean it up than for me to have to clean it up," he says.
There have been some suggestions that a small plaque or a white cross could be placed or painted on one of the bricks in the wall. Spears says that whatever is decided, he hopes a solution is made before the winter weather sets in.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
