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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-07-12, Page 3J Close-up Disappearance still mystery SYMONAIRWIN The suitcase sits, still packed, beside her bedroom door. The make-up case is on the dresser. The earrings are soaking in hydrogren peroxide. The $200 that was to be vacation 'mad money' is still piled up on her mother's dresser. The dozens of photos she was going to show her newly - found biological family in Nova Scotia are still packed neatly together. But the owner of 'these items, has not been seen for nearly five weeks. Mistie Nicole Murray, 16, vanished from Goderich with- out a trace May 31. The general opinion is that it's a simple case of a runaway teen. That's a theory her family have never held. And they're afraid that the continuing insistence on regarding Mistie as "just" a runaway is hampering any real efforts to find her: "Would you run away if the dream of your life was com- ing true?" asked Mistie's adoptive mother, Anne Murray, in an interview Friday. The dream of Mistie's life was her reunion with Darlene, her biological mother, which took place last October. Two days after. her disappearance - on Friday, June 2 - she was to join Darlene and Darlene's husband, James, for a two- week trip to Nova Scotia so she could meet Darlene's fam- ily. Even if Mistie were angry at the Murrays for something - and there's absolutely no evi- dence she was - "she would never do this to Darlene - she's just devastated," Anne said. "And Mistie's not vindic- tive. She wouldn't try to 'get back' at. Darlene now for giv- ing her up all those years ago." The ,Mutray.s adapted Mistie at the age of five, so she had very clear memories of her biological mother. Anne Murray painted a verbal portrait of a distressed and confused child for the first lit- tle while after her adoption. Mistie never forgot Darlene. In Grade 5, when she drew up a family tree, she put the Murrays and Darlene on it. During the years, Darlene sent photos of herself to the CAS, which forwarded them to Mistie. "We promised her when she was older we'd find her mom." As Mistie's 16th birth- day approached, in October 1994, they went into action. It was just after the family lost everything in a house fire - including all the photos Mistie had of herself and Darlene, which intensified her wish to find her mother. Thc Murrays felt that meet- ing her mother might help her weather at least some of the storms of adolescence. As it did. "I called Halifax [Information] and within 15 minutes was talking to Darlene's brother," Anne Murray said. He assured them Darlene's husband "knew all about Mistie," and said he'd call his sister - who now lived in Toronto - and get back to the Murrays within a day or two. He called back in 10 min- utes and said Darlene was "off the walls." She had never taken her husband's name because she'd hoped that, someday, Mistic would come looking for her. The meeting was set for one week before Mistie's 16th birthday. in a mall in Kitchener. "They just hugged and hugged," Annc Murray said. Darlene later sent the Murrays a card saying how thrilled and happy she was to meet her daughter again. She also called her family in Halifax with the news. "Her gramma 'down home', all her uncles and aunts, sent photo albums and letters - thcy wrote beautiful letters to her. It did wonderful things for Mistie's self-esteem. "To me it was like a fairy- tale - like Cinderella," Anne said. Misfit; visited her biologi- cal mother in Toronto one Mistie Murray weekend a month, regWlarly. James would pick her up around noon on Fridays so they could beat the rush hour traffic getting into Toronto. They'd go pick Darlene up at work and then set out on their weekend plans. Mistie came home Sunday night - and the few times she stayed over until Monday, Darlene would always phone the Murrays to tell them of the change in plans and ask if it wasall right. Mistie stayed with Darlene at Christmas, and all her new- found relatives sent her gifts. Among the gifts Darlene gave her were a photo album and a locket - which she treasured - with a photo in it of her moth- er and her mother's husband. Both are still sitting in Mistie's room. "When she came back [to Goderich] after Christmas, she talked about her new family for hours. I can't think of one negative thing in connection with this," Anne said. Shortly after Christmas, Darlene began talking about the three of them going East for a few weeks in June. "I said she could go if she could work it out with school," Anne Murray said, referring to the final exam schedule. Mistie did. \- They were to visit Mistie's. East Coast relatives the first week, and camp out the sec- ond. While they were camp- ing, they were going to --"live off the land" to some extent - fishing in area lakes and streams, for example. Steve Murray bought Mistie a fish- ing rod two weeks before her departure date. "She was down at the dock many nights practising her casting - once she even caught a fish," Anne said. Mistie talked about her upcoming trip to anybody who would listen. She had a list made out of sights in Halifax she want- ed to see, and she'd found out She was one-eighth MicMac Indian. "In her locker we found his- tory books about the MicMacs," Anne said. "She'd even talked about joining a club for young people who are part Native Canadian." The Monday before she was to leave, Mistie collected a huge pile of photographs of herself at various stages of her life. She and Anne were to take them to a local business Thursday night (May 30) to make colour Xeroxes of them, so Mistie could show them to her relatives in Halifax. "She talked to Darlene three or four times while she was packing," Anne said. "There was p4 indication she was upsct or angry about anything. An early report suggested Mistie had gotten on a bus in Clinton on Thursday or Friday (June 1 or 2). However, that girl has since been positively identified by the woman who sold her the bus ticket. It was- n't Mistic. Mistie's biological mother cancelled her trip out East and also spent several days in London. Like Steve Murray, and like the police, she turned up nothing. Thc Murrays, and Mistie's biological family, are groping for an explanation. "So many things don't make sense. Her bags were all packed to go. She'd laid out her nicest dress to wear to meet her grandma. We found her wallet, with all her ID, in her locker. No shoes are miss- ing except the ones she wore that day. The only thing she can think of, and she says it's not very comprehensive, relates back to Mistie's hrlbit of writ- ing notes to Anne and Steve whenever something was bothering her. Since her introduction to her biological mother, she'd written several notes in a sim- ilar vein: "I hope everybody knows I still love you, even though I want to meet my other family." Anne said, "Mistie would often ask, 'Are you sure you're not mad because I spend -so much„tilhe with them?' I said no, all kids grow up and leave home. Just because you love them doesn't mean you don't love us." Mistie's photo and personal information have been sent to Child Find headquarters in Toronto. Several thousand posters of her have been cir- culated. To date, three calls have come in, says Barbara Snider, a case administrator with Child Find Ontario. She added that there's no way of telling how many calls Child Find will get on any giv'gn case. But 11,500 Child Find posters with Mistie's picture on them have gone out across the country. Canada Customs offices nationwide have received posters, as have all youth shelters in Toronto and all provincial parks and all police departments in Ontario. Mistie's photo and the details have gone to cable TV and print media. Anybody with informatiod can call Child Find Ontario at 1-800-387- 7962 or the Goderich Police (519-524-5902). Anne said police told them 99 per cent of runaways call home within a week or two. Mistie has been missing for five weeks. "We've had leads from Auburn to Timbuktoo," Anne said. "I can talk about it now without crying, but I don't know what to do with my life. Go on holiday? Stay in town? "We just feel so helpless." THE HURON EXPOSITOR, July 12, 12211-3 McKillop sets property standards At its regular meeting July 4, McKillop Township asked chief building officer, Paul Josling, to bring a property standards bylaw for review to Council's August meeting. At present the township has no such bylaw. The building officer also reported on building permits issued so far this year in the township. The number of per- mits is about even, for the same period as last year, but their dollar value is down. Council approved a tile - drainage loan application for $12,000, and also instructed W.E. Kelly and Associates Ltd. Af! Roads Lead to to prepare a preliminary report on -closing a portion of the Johnston -Irvin Municipal Drain, through parts of Lot 8 and Conc. 13. The township opened tenders then sold its used mower for $1,505 to Bruce Fischer. Susan Stewart was hired for the gravel -checking position as part of McKillop's reconstruc- tion project. The job will last from two to three weeks and begin in August. Council accepted a proposal from William Squibb and As- sociates Ltd. to review township records with an eye to the possible recovery of goods and service tax, and provincial sales tax money. There is no charge for accep- ting the proposal, but if the firm manages to recover tax it gets 40 per cent of the total. Council also approved a couple of lottery promotions in the township from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and the Huron Tourism Association. General vouchers for June totalling $130,706.28, which include the second installment of Huron County Board of Education payments, were approved and also road vouchers totalling $28,050.91. You are invited to Seaforth on Sunday, Aug. 6th C To enjoy and participate in our Orth &Homecoming '95 • trict . ANTIQUE & CLASSIC Augusta -6,1995 omecominB CAR SHOW At the Seaforth.and District High School Grounds Starts at 9:00 AM * 20 Special Plaques will be Awarded to Various Groups ' - * Number of Draw Prizes to be Given Away * ENTERTAINMENT Old Time Rock -n -Roll D.J. Ken Chaplin will be on hand * Food Booth on Grounds MAIL DIRECT OR DROP OFF AT HOMECOMING HEADQUARTERS ttpst NOTE — PROCEEDS OF CAR SHOW TO GO TO THE CRIPPLED CHILDRENS HOSPITAL AND THE SUNSHINE FOUNDATION • 1 a TO PRE -REGISTER PLEASE RETURN THIS COUPON BY JULY 22nd, 1995 SPECIAL DASH PLAQUE FOR 1ST 200 TO PRE -REGISTER * DASH PLAQUES FOR THE NEXT 160 GRAB BAGS FOR 1ST 100 TO ARRIVE AT SHOW * ENTRY FEE $5.00 0 ENCLOSED Name Address: Town: PC: Your Car — Year Model Other Detals I accept end assume lull lability fa w,y Injury b me. my Ismly ar my properly end agree b release M Wary from be oar show oryandere and alfaponion. -s'°:: ... . lataKg To: HOMECOMING COMMITTEE CAR SHOW HOST MURRAY C. DALE 50 Grandview Cres. London, Ontario N8K 2Y2 For more info. phone/lax 519-657-9118 Register also et grounds, open at 9:00 am OOKING FOR INAN ' ' PTIONS? 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