‘We want to bring closure’: Searchers try to beat snowstorm to find missing Cape Breton senior
RCMP and volunteer search and rescue personnel spent Wednesday trying to find any sign of a missing Cape Breton senior before an impending snowstorm hits the region.
Susan Bain, 79, hasn't been seen since taking her dog for a walk near her Middle River home on Dec. 3.
The dog returned home but so far, efforts to locate Bain have been unsuccessful.
Last week, searchers were battling snow squalls trying to find her. This week, efforts were suspended for two days due to heavy rain that soaked the area.
With a clear sky and ground Wednesday, searchers were hopeful that the weather was finally cooperating, before the next storm moves in.
"Now that we have bare ground, it might be easier to find her,” said Paul Vienneau, a search manager with Cape Breton Search and Rescue. "All the snow is gone up in this area. Now we have some probable areas that we're trying to cover before the impending snow storm tonight."
RCMP said the plan was to search until shortly after dark Wednesday.
There was some worry that if the heavy snow forecast for the area sticks around, Wednesday could be the last chance to search bare ground for a long time.
"Time is really not always on our side,” said RCMP Cpl. Chris Marshall. "There's always concern when we do get a dumping of snow, especially in Cape Breton. Those kinds of areas do tend to be more rugged. The terrain is less even, so it's harder for the snow to melt, and the ground does freeze a little sooner. But again, it's something we're going to continue to review day by day."
As a helicopter combed the woods and the water, including where a bridge washed out near the missing woman's home, searchers admitted the chances of finding Bain alive are diminishing.
"We want to bring closure to the family one way or the other,” Vienneau said. “And once the snow comes, it's going to be harder."
RCMP said they plan to reassess search efforts once the snowstorm is over.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.