Newfoundland police name dead man as suspect in Cortney Lake disappearance
Police
have named a dead man as the only suspect in a young Newfoundland
woman's disappearance, as her mother pleaded for people to come forward
with information in a presumed homicide that has gripped the province
for months.
Cortney Lake, a
24-year-old mother of a young son, vanished June 7 after getting into a
truck near her home in Mount Pearl, near St. John's.
"As
Cortney's mother, I cannot accept that we may never find her," Lisa
Lake told reporters during a press conference Tuesday, breaking into
tears. "I am begging today for anyone, anybody who can help us find
Cortney please, please come forward."
The
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said Philip Smith, her ex-boyfriend,
was the only suspect in the homicide. The 25-year-old man was found dead
Nov. 1 in the woods near Bellevue Beach, about an hour west of St.
John's.
Police said Smith's death
was neither suspicious nor criminal in nature but haven't confirmed
multiple reports he had killed himself. Investigators said they found no
clues about Lake during a search of the area after Smith's body was
recovered.
Inspector
Tom Warren, who is leading the probe, said investigators have conducted
more than a hundred interviews, received hundreds of tips and reviewed
"countless hours" of CCTV footage.
He
said police believe Lake got into Smith's pickup truck just before 8
p.m. on June 7 and that in August, Smith admitted in an agreed statement
of facts that he was the person who picked up Lake that day.
Warren said investigators believe there are individuals "who have withheld information," and have asked them to come forward.
"I'm
hoping with (Smith's) passing, that people who have either withheld
information or who have refused to speak with us will now come forward,"
said Warren.
The haunting case has
inspired total strangers to help look for the missing woman, amid a
social media campaign with the hashtag #HelpFindCortney.
Police
have named a dead man as the only suspect in a young Newfoundland
woman's disappearance, as her mother pleaded for people to come forward
with information in a presumed homicide that has gripped the province
for months.
Cortney Lake, a
24-year-old mother of a young son, vanished June 7 after getting into a
truck near her home in Mount Pearl, near St. John's.
"As
Cortney's mother, I cannot accept that we may never find her," Lisa
Lake told reporters during a press conference Tuesday, breaking into
tears. "I am begging today for anyone, anybody who can help us find
Cortney please, please come forward."
The
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said Philip Smith, her ex-boyfriend,
was the only suspect in the homicide. The 25-year-old man was found dead
Nov. 1 in the woods near Bellevue Beach, about an hour west of St.
John's.
Police said Smith's death
was neither suspicious nor criminal in nature but haven't confirmed
multiple reports he had killed himself. Investigators said they found no
clues about Lake during a search of the area after Smith's body was
recovered.
Inspector
Tom Warren, who is leading the probe, said investigators have conducted
more than a hundred interviews, received hundreds of tips and reviewed
"countless hours" of CCTV footage.
He
said police believe Lake got into Smith's pickup truck just before 8
p.m. on June 7 and that in August, Smith admitted in an agreed statement
of facts that he was the person who picked up Lake that day.
Warren said investigators believe there are individuals "who have withheld information," and have asked them to come forward.
"I'm
hoping with (Smith's) passing, that people who have either withheld
information or who have refused to speak with us will now come forward,"
said Warren.
The haunting case has
inspired total strangers to help look for the missing woman, amid a
social media campaign with the hashtag #HelpFindCortney.
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