Nearly two years ago, Brian Gallagher took a picture of his daughter, Megan, playing in the yard with her puppy.
“It was just a perfect day,” Gallagher recalls.
Now, the picture is used on posters and billboards under the word “missing.”
Surveillance footage from a convenience store on Diefenbaker Drive shows the last time Megan was seen on Sept. 20, 2020.
A day later, a call was made to a taxi company from Megan’s cell phone.
In an audio recording of the call, a man and woman can be heard ordering a taxi to Weldon Avenue. Police don’t believe the female voice is Megan’s.
“Sometimes the longer that something goes on, people tend to forget or it gets put on the back shelf. For us, that doesn’t happen. It’s an everyday thing. It’s an every moment thing,” Gallagher said.
This week, police are shining a light on cases like Megan’s during Missing Persons Week — in hopes of bringing forward new leads.
There are about 140 people who have been reported missing long-term in Saskatchewan, according to RCMP.
The number is approximate because RCMP don’t preside over cases in municipalities where there is a police service.
In Saskatoon, 21 people have been missing for six months or longer.
“The most frustrating thing is not being able to get those answers to the family,” Sgt. Bryon Sommacal with the Saskatoon Police Service said.
Sommacal is urging anyone with information on a missing person case to come forward.
“Whether it’s a past conversation that they remember or maybe they remember seeing somebody,” he said.
As time goes on, guilt can thicken. RCMP Sgt. Chris Hanson has experienced someone coming into the police station, years later, with a critical tip.
“It’s very rare, but it’s a situation that you have to be prepared for. When it does happen, it’s of course a game changer,” Hanson told CTV News.
“Any information is good information. Everybody has responsibility in this. If we all work together, people come forward and you have a good group of investigators that will take this to the end — then, there will be success.”
