Dozens of people braved the cold on Sunday night in Devon, Alta., to bring attention to the case of Kathleen Ferraz-Duchesneau, who has been missing for over a week.
Organizers of the candle light vigil are hoping to keep the case on people's minds.
The River of Hope Church in Devon, has fittingly become the volunteer command centre of a search for a missing 25-year-old woman.
“There's a lot of support. There's a lot of hope and that's the most important thing,” said volunteer Tammy Neron.
Neron is one of many who have lent their efforts to the search for Ferraz-Duchesneau.
On Jan. 6, the woman’s vehicle was found running in the median south of the bridge on Highway 60. Ferraz-Duchesneau has been missing since.
“I couldn't sleep the first night. I actually wanted to put on my boots and put on my coat in the middle of the night and help look for her,” recalled another volunteer, Patti Mejia.
The hundreds of volunteers have now canvassed most of the town, although searching near the North Saskatchewan River has proven difficult.
Volunteer Kate Sinclair told CTV News the search party was using drones, as ice has prevented them from getting out on boats.
However, she, and others, remain optimistic.
“Nothing was out of character in the actions that she did. There was nothing to suspect than anything was wrong at the time,” Sinclair said.
“We are not giving up until we bring her home.”
Devon RCMP told CTV News their investigation is ongoing, but have no reason to believe Ferraz-Duchesneau was the victim of foul play.
Ferraz-Duchesneau is 165 centimetres (5’5”) tall, weighs 109 kilograms (240 pounds), and has green eyes and blondish-brown hair. Police said she may be wearing glasses, a fur-trimmed purple jacket or blue jeans.
Anyone with information on her location is asked to call Devon RCMP at 780-987-3414 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
With files from Regan Hasegawa
