It has been 33 years since Lynn Oliver went missing after leaving her workplace at a New Glasgow, N.S. drycleaner.
But decades after the 22-year-old vanished from the small town, her memory is still very much alive.
Friends and family gathered on Saturday to plant a tree in honour of Oliver and retrace the steps she would have taken if she had made it home on Aug. 25, 1979.
“It’s been 33 years and it’s Pictou County’s longest cold case and I’d just like to see some closure for the family,” event organizer Tammy Boren-Fraser told CTV Atlantic.
“Hopefully by doing this, it will get people talking again.”
Oliver was waiting for her mother to give her a ride home from work when she disappeared, leaving an 18-month old son behind.
The case was the first to be placed on Nova Scotia’s unsolved crime list, but no arrests have ever been made.
New Glasgow Police Chief Delaney Chisholm said the investigation is still very much ongoing and Oliver’s case is reviewed regularly.
“Even recently we’ve conducted some further interviews,” he said.
Oliver’s mother Lois Dykens said she’d like to bring closure to the mystery that surrounds her daughter’s disappearance.
“It’s been going through my head for a good many years that I wish I had her to bury,” said Dykens, with tears in her eyes. “But, it’s not going to happen.”
Oliver’s son, now grown and with a family of his own, was not able to attend the memorial as he works in western Canada. But his young children were on hand to remember the grandmother they never met.
Others in the community said they were saddened by the fact that decades later, investigators are no closer to solving the mystery around Oliver’s disappearance.
“I remember the day that she went missing and we were just all horrified,” said friend Jane Suttis. “I just can’t believe 33 years later that something hasn’t been done.”
Police are offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the cold case.
With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh
