Police make appeal in case of girl, 2, who disappeared from Ontario park in 1966

A sketch of what Diane Prevost may look like at 45 years old by Certified (IAI) Forensic Artist, Diana P. Trepkov. (dianeprevost.info)

ORILLIA, Ont. -- Ontario Provincial Police are appealing to anyone with information about the disappearance of a young girl more than 50 years ago to come forward.

Police say Diane Prevost was reported missing in Grundy Lake Provincial Park, about 90 kilometres southeast of Sudbury, Ont., on Sept. 17, 1966.

They say the two-year-old was afraid of the water and had been playing in the sand while her father fished on the dock and her siblings swam in the lake.

Police say when the girl asked to return to the trailer at the campsite, which was approximately 150 metres from the beach, her father asked her to wait a moment while he reeled in his line.

When he turned to take her back to the campsite, the girl was no longer on the beach and extensive searches of the park and the lake that spanned more than a month found no trace of her.

Investigators say she has never been seen since and have posted a video about her disappearance on social media in an effort to reach anyone with information about what happened to Diane Prevost.

Police have also shared a letter from the girl's sister, Lise, requesting it also be shared.

"Dad never stopped looking for you," the sister wrote, noting her return to the park on the anniversary of the disappearance to look for her.

"He never gave up, even on his dying bed he wasn't ready to go, he had unfinished business, you weren't found," she wrote.

"Diane, if you read this letter, please know that your real family are still looking for you," the sister wrote.

Insp. Tina Chalk said OPP believe someone knows something about the disappearance.

"Although decades have passed, her case is not closed. Even the smallest piece of information could shed light on what happened to Diane, and resolve a 50-year mystery that has haunted this family and the community," Chalk said Friday in a news release.