‘I want to have her remains’: Family of teen who disappeared 43 years ago offers $50K reward for information

The family of a teenager who went missing more than 40 years ago is offering a $50,000 reward for new information about what happened to her.

The family of a teenager who vanished more than 40 years ago is now offering a $50,000 reward for anyone with new information.

Shelly-Anne Bacsu, who was 16 at the time, called her mother the evening of May 3, 1983, to say she would be home shortly and to please put on some pasta for dinner.

She had left a friend’s house in Hinton at what’s now known as the Hillcrest Trailer Park at 8 p.m. and was last seen walking west along the north side of Highway 16. She never made it home.

RCMP investigators have, in the last 43 years, found some of her clothes and belongings. They believe she was killed.

Shelly-Anne’s mother Muriel, now in her 80s, said she hoped new technological innovations meant new details may emerge, especially with a $50,000 incentive.

“People in the community that are still living in Hinton, that were there at the time and had spent hours searching, they still show us support, and I’m very thankful and grateful for that,” she told reporters on Friday.

“I don’t want to leave this earth not knowing … I want to have her remains. I think I deserve that.”

An age-progressed sketch of her daughter was also provided to depict what Shelly-Anne would look like if she were alive today.

“We don’t give up. We don’t stop looking. We keep these files open … Crime Stopper tips come right to my email inbox, and I check them every morning,” said Sgt. Travis McKenzie with the RCMP cold case team.

“Outliving a child is a tragedy. Someone out there knows what happened, and we want that person to come forward.”

Anyone with information about Shelly-Anne Bacsu’s disappearance is asked to send in a tip to Crime Stoppers.