RCMP Investigating Missing Woman After 1972 Plymouth Cricket Found Running on Range Road 244
RCMP probe a missing woman case after a 1972 blue Plymouth Cricket was found running with the door open on Range Road 244; investigators seek public tips.
Discovery of an Abandoned Vehicle
A half-hour after the woman was last seen, a local resident discovered her 1972 blue Plymouth Cricket parked on Range Road 244 and reported it to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The vehicle was running, the headlights remained on, the driver’s-side door was wide open and the window was partly rolled down when it was found. Those details prompted RCMP to treat the scene as potentially linked to a missing person investigation.
Immediate Details at the Scene
Inside the car officers noted the woman’s purse but no personal identification beyond a small amount of cash, and a jacket left behind on a seat. The presence of the purse and personal items has raised questions for investigators about whether the departure from the vehicle was voluntary or the result of foul play. RCMP officers secured the vehicle and conducted an initial sweep of the surrounding area while documenting the scene.
RCMP Response and Ongoing Investigation
Murray Kitsch, the person who reported the vehicle, alerted police immediately after finding the car, and his call set off the RCMP response. Investigators say the file remains active and that forensic teams are examining the vehicle and its contents for evidence. Because the investigation is ongoing, authorities have provided limited public detail while they follow up on leads and process physical evidence.
RCMP investigators have canvassed nearby properties and carried out searches along the road where the car was located. Officers are also reviewing any available surveillance and speaking with potential witnesses who may have been in the area around the time the car was found. Police cautioned that timelines and specifics may change as new information is corroborated.
Evidence Left in the Car and Potential Significance
The vehicle’s condition — engine running, lights on and door open — is atypical and is being examined for forensic clues. The purse containing approximately $20 and the jacket left inside suggest the woman left without essential items, though police have not ruled out any possibilities. Investigators are treating both the car and the immediate roadside as a critical part of reconstructing events that led to the woman’s disappearance.
Forensic teams will test the car for fingerprints, DNA, and other trace evidence, and will assess the vehicle’s mechanical state to determine whether it could have broken down. Any clothing fibers, biological material, or foreign objects found inside could provide leads in a case where physical evidence in the surrounding area is otherwise limited.
Search Efforts and Community Reaction
Local residents described a growing concern after news of the discovery spread through the community, and volunteers have offered to assist under RCMP direction. Search crews have been organized to cover both roadside stretches and nearby rural tracts, though official searches remain focused on areas identified by investigators. Authorities have urged volunteers to coordinate with police rather than initiating independent searches that could disturb potential evidence.
Community members who encountered the scene reported seeing the car with its door open and described the area as a rural stretch of Range Road 244 with limited nearby housing. The discovery has prompted neighbours to review home surveillance footage and to speak with anyone who might have been on the road at the relevant time. Residents described the mood as tense and the desire to help as strong.
Investigators’ Appeal to the Public
RCMP investigators are asking anyone with information about the woman, the vehicle, or suspicious activity on Range Road 244 to come forward. Officials have requested details such as the time the car was seen, descriptions of people or vehicles in the vicinity, and any dash-cam or doorbell footage that may include the road or its approaches. Even small observations can be significant in a missing person file, police said.
Authorities also reminded the public not to speculate on social media about the circumstances of the woman’s disappearance, emphasizing that spreading unverified claims can hamper the investigation. Police encouraged those with potentially relevant information to contact the local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers so investigators can vet leads and protect the integrity of the case.
Final updates will depend on forensic results and the emergence of corroborated witness accounts, and RCMP said they will provide additional information when appropriate. The investigation into the missing woman remains active as officers continue to piece together the events that led to the vehicle being found abandoned on Range Road 244.
