The investigation into the disappearance of Alyssa Turnbull, who was last seen one year ago in Nipigon, remains a “very active and ongoing” one, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Turnbull, 26, was reported missing on April 14, 2020. She had last been seen in Nipigon around March 23 and 25, OPP said.
“This case had a tremendous impact on the family, Alyssa’s family, but also the entire community,” said Sgt. Mike Golding, OPP community safety co-ordinator for the northwest region.
“In the last year, we’ve had detectives up there.”
As part of the investigation, the OPP and its underwater search and recovery team searched the Nipigon wastewater treatment plant in November 2020, OPP said at the time. The move to search the plant caught many people in the community by surprise.
“They’ve been working to identify the person or persons who we feel are responsible for her disappearance,” he said. “I know our members have conducted numerous searches, interviewed dozens of people, we’ve collected several pieces of potential evidence.
“These are small towns,” he said. “I know people talk. The police, we don’t have the the luxury of rumours and innuendo. We’re held accountable by the law, we’re held accountable by the family, by the courts. So any little piece of information could be the one piece we need to close this file.”
$50K reward offered
In October 2020, a $50,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person, or people, responsible for Turnbull’s disappearance.
“Since that reward was offered, we’ve had a number of tips come in,” said Golding. “The OPP has had detectives follow up every individual tip.
“It is a very complex file, but we are doing everything in our power to hopefully bring resolution to Alyssa’s family.”
At the time of her disappearance, Turnbull was living in Nipigon. She’s described as being five-foot-three and 100 pounds, with shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes.
OPP said Turnbull may have changed her hair colour to purple or red.
Police still seeking tips
Golding said it’s important for anyone with information about Turnbull’s disappearance to come forward, even if it seems insignificant.
“We know there’s someone out there who knows what happened to Alyssa, and we’re asking for them to do the right thing,” he said. “To come forward, to make a call, to tell somebody.”
Anyone with information about Turnbull’s disappearance is asked to contact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122, or their local police service.
