Toronto Police are highlighting four historic missing children cases that are still open files.
The latest children to be the focus were high-profile cases with much publicity at the time of the disappearances, said Det. Mary Vruna, of the Missing Persons Unit.
“We are showcasing older incidents of missing kids. I’d love to say we would find them alive, but we are looking for any information into their disappearance,” Vruna said.
At any given time there may be 65 missing children in Toronto.
“It’s a fluid number and I can’t commit to a specific number. At a given time one may come back and another two go missing,” she said.
The Missing Persons Unit is a section of the Homicide Unit and investigates all missing persons in the city as well as those on the way to or from Toronto. This includes new and historic cases.
The unit is highlighting the historic cases of these four missing children:
— Richard “Peewee” Marlow, 9, was last seen in July 1944 riding a bicycle from of his home in Etobicoke, which was a rural area at the time. His bike was located near the front of his home, but he was nowhere to be found. He is described as white with blonde hair, blue eyes and a thin build. He was small for his age and shy.
— Helga Kaserer, 13, was last seen in December 1960 by a neighbour walking on Harvard Ave. towards Roncesvalles Ave. She came to Canada in 1956 from Austria and is described as white, about 5-foot-1, 105 pounds, with curly brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a grey and beige checked coat and a blue dress with polka dots.
— Amber Carrie Potts, 16, was last heard from by her mother in November 1988. Although she had a history of running away she always kept in contact with her mom. Her belongings were later found at a hotel where she had been staying. She is described as 5-foot-6, 130 pounds, with shoulder-length brown curly hair and brown eyes.
— Nancy Liou, 15, left her apartment in January 1999 and was never seen again. She is described as Asian, 5-foot-5, 117 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes. She was right-handed and had a scar on her upper lip.
All the children are featured on Canada’s Missing website, which is also the site for the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains.
Anyone with information is asked to call 416-808-7411 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
