Someone Knows Something - The Next Call with David Ridgen: Episode 2 in the case of Melanie Ethier

Episode Date: October 14, 2021

Conversations with Melanie’s friends who were with her the day she disappeared. Could something they noticed help the investigation?

Turn off hesitation. Turn off doubt. Turn off fears. The YMCA helps you turn off whatever's holding you back, so you can let your potential shine. Through our wide range of programs and services, you can turn on confidence. Turn on connections.

Turn on possibilities. Visit our website to see what you can achieve at the YMCA. This will be the day. abilities. Visit our website to see what you can achieve at the YMCA. This is a CBC Podcast. Do I get unlucky again? You know what I mean? Do I pay some sort of fucking moral price for other decisions I've done in life? I don't know, man. I don't know. Hi, just leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you.

Hi, Sylvie. It's David Ridgen calling. I work. I've tried to put in some calls to Sylvie Chartrand, partner to the now deceased Dennis Leveille, or Dennis Leveille, the man who claimed Melanie scratched him on the arm as they were play fighting just before she disappeared. I'm making a podcast about the case of Melanie Ethier, and I know that you knew Melanie well, and we're a family friend. But as with all cases I've investigated, it's often not possible to talk to people exactly when I want to talk to them. You may have some knowledge that might help the case, which I think would be really important. You can call me back or let me know when you're available.

Thanks so much. Talk soon. Bye-bye. So I wait and strategize and try again when the timing seems right. Until then, I have other calls to make about the night Melanie went missing. I'm David Ridgen and welcome to The Next Call, episode two in the case of Melanie Ethier. Hello? Hello? Sorry, are you there? Yeah, I'm here. Can you hear me? Yeah, I think I was on mute. I've reached Melanie's best friend who now lives overseas. She has asked for an anonymity for a number of good reasons. She did only one other short interview with the media many years ago, and she was with Melanie the day she disappeared.

I want to know how their day went and other details about their evening. So are you also sort of investigating it? Yes, I'm primarily investigating it, actually. And the podcast is the vehicle to tell the story, but also to try to elicit new evidence, to try to find people to come forward. Okay, so I knew Mel in high school. We were very close in high school.

We had similar interests. I think she just could find humor in any situation, which I appreciated. Maybe a little bit sardonic at times too. So I think just somebody who really, really enjoyed life and made life more enjoyable for those around her. Do you remember where you and Mel thought you'd be later in life? Did you ever have conversations about what Mel wanted to do? We talked about that a lot the last day that I saw Mel. We had gone for lunch together at Pizza Pizza, and she told me that she was thinking

that she may want to become a teacher after graduation and go volunteer in Botswana. I think she also definitely wanted to have a family. I think she probably wouldn't have strayed too far from her mom and Jesse. She was very close have a family. I think she probably wouldn't have strayed too far from her mom and Jesse. She was very close to her family. I asked what New Liskard was like for them, and Mel's friend says it was a quiet place where people felt safe. But I think when she disappeared, that's what really shook the community, because I think

there was this false sense of security that most people had. And, you know, when we all realized that this had happened, that somebody within this community could do something so horrific, it was shocking to everyone. It's definitely possible that whoever is responsible for Mel's disappearance was just passing through. But this is not the first or last time someone I speak to infers that the person or persons responsible for Mel's disappearance were local, a thread I will keep following. I mean, it's not pleasant, and it does... digging deep into memories can be taxing and difficult.

Mel's movements around the time she was last seen are key, and her friend has agreed to walk me through them. So my earliest memory from that day was we had met up in the late morning in New Liskard. I'd been doing homework in the New Liskard library, and I think I went outside and I noticed her. I think she was just getting off the bus, so she was just across the street. So I went over and we met up and she told me that she had plans to do some shopping. So I ditched my homework and joined her.

They shop for cake ingredients and clothes. Nothing stands out as being different across the day. No new people met, no strange encounters or events. At some point, the friend and Mel walked to a house in nearby Diamond Township to get some money from someone Mel had babysat for. Mel and I then walked to this movie rental store. I think it was Mike Walton's, close to where she lived. So we went there to meet up with a group of friends.

And I think we stayed there for a little bit. And we ended up renting a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. Yes, Sudden Death. That was the movie that we were watching. The movie you watched was called Sudden Death? Yeah. God. I know.

After being turned away from a few other friends' homes, they ultimately made their way to Ryan Chatwin's place to watch the movie. They would have arrived there, according to Mel's friend, sometime after 10 p.m. At the house with Mel and her best friend were Ryan, Jay Denemy, and Mel's new boyfriend, Neil Fortier. Ryan's parents were there, but in their bedroom. I stayed there for, I think, a couple of hours, or enough to be halfway through this film anyway. I really didn't like it. I was not enjoying it.

Yeah, we didn't make it very far into it before I left. I asked what the mood was like before she left, how people were engaging with each other and the film. She says there was no drinking and no drugs, and that Mel had been looking forward to her night, but may have seemed a bit more taciturn than usual once they arrived at the house. I try to focus on the others who were present during the movie. Oh, you've reached Ryan Chatwin? I'm sorry, I can't take your call right now. If you could kindly leave a voicemail, I'll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you, and have a great day. After leaving a message, you can hang up or press pound for more options. Hi Ryan, it's David Ridgen calling. It's Wednesday... I've contacted Ryan Chatwin, whose house they were at, on the phone and email,

and at one point he replied, saying he would get back to me shortly, but many weeks later, still nothing. Jay Denemy does respond to me, and I set up a time for a call later. And I've also messaged Neil Fortier, Mel's new boyfriend at the time. Yes, so that's the guy that I think maybe Mel already had plans with. I didn't know him very well, but I think they hadn't been seeing each other for very long. But she was really interested in him, and he seemed like a really nice guy.

Neil Fortier? Yeah. Okay. Mel's friend says that Neil Fortier was still with Mel at the Chatwin house when she left. Before recently becoming involved with Neil, Mel had been in a much longer-term relationship with a fellow named Jacques Laplante. I spoke to Jacques, but in my opinion didn't add anything of interest. He was interviewed by police and eliminated as a suspect. But in terms of the group of guys, the police did interview them a lot. And I don't know what their experience has been since she disappeared but I do think that they've had a hard time I think people have have if not accused some of them then

come close to it or applied it and I think that's really unfortunate because you know as far as I know there's no evidence to suggest that and I think blaming a 16 year old boy for not walking a girl home at night in a community where everybody felt safe I think is unfair. I circle back to Mel's friend's departure from the Chatwin house and what happened after. I made it halfway through this film and I had to leave earlier because I was catching a ride home at around one and so I left this house and where was Mel when when you left where where did you leave her I think she was sitting on the couch from what I remember and I got up and got ready and said goodbye and then everybody was still seated watching the movie. And then I went outside and walked down Pine.

Pine Avenue runs east-west, so Mel's friend would have headed west on Pine toward Armstrong, one of the main streets in New Liskard, which runs north-south. I think the friend's route is important as a potential clue to how Mel may have started out on her trip home. The friend was walking back to Mel's place where she was meeting her ride home, and both she and Mel used the same routes to get around town. So I would have walked down the pine towards Armstrong because it was more well lit and it felt, I think it just would have felt more natural to me to go that way rather than going down the other way and around the house up by the river. I don't remember it being too dark. I didn't feel uncomfortable.

So I was walking towards an intersection and I don't I don't remember which one and I noticed a car coming towards me from the right and it made me a little bit nervous because it was it was driving quite slowly so I crossed the intersection and this car kept approaching very very slowly and then by the time I made it through the intersection, I remember it being behind me, not too far from me. And it just really made me uncomfortable. I felt quite nervous at that time. So I just sort of ran down the street to the main street, the main intersection, where it was much busier and more well-lit.

This car encounter has never been described by Mel's friend before in the media. Can you describe the kind of car or colour? Yeah, it was a white car that I remember. I think I know what kind of car it was just from Googling because I don't really know cars that well. I ask for more detail on her recollections about this light-colored car. If this friend of Mel's left around 12.30, quarter to 1 a.m.,

and Mel left around 2 a.m., then this car could have arguably still been around within the window of Mel's walk. In terms of the car, I think it would have been a Monte Carlo or something similar to that. It was white. I don't think it was in the best condition. I remember seeing some patches on it that looked like sort of repair work or something like that. Do you remember what work had been done? Yeah, there was some sort of like gray patch on the back. But it looked like maybe there had been some damage or some hole or something

that somebody had tried to cover with something. So I just remember this stayed in my mind because I guess it jumped out at me because it was a different color. So it was a white car and then had the patch of gray on the side but towards the back. Okay, so you look back at it,

it would have been the right side of the car at the back and some kind of gray primer, basically. You're looking at someone who's put some kind of fiberglass and sanded it down, possibly, or there might have been a gray primer patch on there. Yeah. Two-door or four-door? I think it was a two-door. And did you see anybody inside?

I mean, other than the driver? I remember maybe two people, and I would say males. I don't know if they were teenagers or if they were adults. So you would have told this to police at the time, do you think? Oh, definitely. Did you ever see the white car again that night? Did it reappear, or did you see it again any other day after that? Definitely not that night.

I've seen cars since then that reminded me of it, Did it reappear or did you see it again any other day after that? Definitely not that night. I've seen cars since then that reminded me of it, just because it had frightened me so much that whenever I saw a similar one, you know, I would have that feeling of maybe anxiety, but I don't know that it was the same one. After the car passes, Mel's friend speeds up her pace on her walk home, and she continues her story from there. So then when you went to Armstrong, you would have turned left and crossed the bridge? That's right.

She continues on Armstrong, across the bridge over the Wabi River to the south side toward the downtown. There, she crosses the street near an aging but still active apartment building and a Mr. Gas service station. There's a shortcut behind that led to where Mel was living at that time. So I walked through there, and then I made it to her house. I knew it was one in the morning because I caught the tail end of Saturday Night Live. And then the ride came, and I was able to go home. The shortcut is a route, she says, that she and Mel took many times together.

Walking between the apartment building and gas station, or on the other side of the apartment building, one would continue through a fairly hidden back area to Church Street and then up a short hill to Mel's house at the top. I'm sure she would have taken the same route as me. To me, if Melanie did get across the bridge, and there appears to be at least one eyewitness who places her on the bridge, then the areas where she was most likely to be secluded or approached unawares are

here, after the bridge on the town side all the way to her house. Knowing Mel and you know she's active she was an outdoors person and how strong she was and things like that, if Mel was approached by someone or people in a car do you think that she would go up to the car? Do you think that she would get in the car? Is there any circumstance under which you think that she would go up to the car do you think that she would get in the car is there any circumstance under which you think mo would have gotten voluntarily into a car i don't think she would have gotten in the car no i don't think so i really don't think so

not voluntarily not voluntarily no even if she knew the person oh if she knew the person, yeah. Thinking back, I think it was kind of cold that night, actually. I remember complaining about it when we were walking. So, yeah, if she knew the person, I think she would have. Which I don't think is unusual at that time and in that place or anywhere, really. But if it was somebody she didn't know, yeah, I think she would have tried to fight them off. I mean, I think she was strong in terms of a 15-year-old,

somewhat athletic girl, but I don't think she would have been strong enough to fight off a man or a group of men. I don't think so. The friend recalls the Wabi River being searched and Hercules aircraft flying over New Liskard in the aftermath of Mel's disappearance. She also says Mel seemed happy and exhibited no signs of depression. No, not at all. I don't think she was depressed. I think I would have known. I go over other theories Mel's friend may have heard, but none of them are worth repeating here

for fear of only adding to the rumour or re-traumatizing with specious and even gory possibilities. But we do talk about the notion of a trucker driving past New Liskard on the Trans-Canada Highway. Did you ever come up with a theory of your own about what might have happened to Mel? Without knowing the facts or, you know, specifics and what's been confirmed and what hasn't, it's hard to sort of count on anything. So over the years, I've had different views, I guess, different impressions of what could be real and what might not be real. But I always thought that the trucker or somebody coming through was plausible, just because of how close we are to the highway.

To get to New Liskerd, you would have to leave the main Trans-Canada Highway off one of two exits and loop a few kilometres through stop-and-start traffic in town. It wouldn't be a fast drive, and there would be little to no need for a trucker to leave the Trans-Canada since there's at least one major gas station that would have been there in 1996 close to the north exit and highway hotels just north of that. Also a trucker in a rig is less likely in my opinion to be able to be inconspicuous or park anywhere along Melanie's route. Celine told me a theory that she has been developing where a friend of hers has a boyfriend who I guess has now passed had scratches on him and said that Mel had given them to him when she was play fighting.

I have no impression of it. Yeah, I don't know. I didn't know him very well. Did Mel ever talk to you about that person that we're talking about here? Did Mel ever tell you any stories about him? No, I don't think so. No, I mean, I remember being at their house with Mel, but no, I don't remember her ever saying anything about him. I honestly can't

think of anybody who creeped her out or frightened her or made her uncomfortable. It's not to say that there weren't any or that she didn't tell me, but I think something like that would have stuck in my mind, especially after she disappeared. You talked about how Mel's disappearance

was difficult for you and the others. Can you describe how Mel's disappearance has affected you? It traumatized me. Mel was very, very important to me. She was a friend that I loved like a sister. And when she disappeared, it was traumatic to lose somebody that important, especially at a young age when I had never really experienced loss before. Not knowing what happened in

the imagination can be a horrible thing. The fear, you know, is this somebody that I knew? Is it somebody that I was in contact with regularly? And I also had a lot of guilt. I, for a long time, was angry at myself for not having walked home with her that night. Even though I realize now that, I mean, that wouldn't have necessarily changed anything. But just wondering why I made it home and she didn't. I want to know what happened. I still think about her and where she would be.

And every time I think that we'll have answers and find out what happened and then be able to just process these feelings and the grief and try to gain a better understanding of what happened, I feel that it just falls apart and then there's disappointment all over again. And that's a really hard thing to constantly have to go through. And that's just me as somebody who's a friend of hers. So I can't imagine what it's like for Celine and Jesse,

her grandmother. I imagine it's the same sort of torment and torture now that it was, you know, 24 years ago. It's totally engulfed her. I think she just wants to know. I think she wants to give Mel the memorial that she should have. What do you think would call you to action if you knew something that could help solve the case? I think it would be the knowledge that I could actually do something important and necessary

to help give Mel's mother her life back. I think there are people out there who know what happened and I think probably would like to come forward or want to come forward, but are afraid that they may put themselves at risk or they may incriminate somebody or hurt someone that they care about. And they may think that since they can't bring Mel back, that it's not worth it. But I think it's really important to make clear to people that this is an ongoing thing. Simeon, she won't get her life back until she knows what happened. clear to people that this is an ongoing thing.

Siddin, she won't get her life back until she knows what happened. So that's what would call me to action, is to know that I have the power to help somebody heal and regain their life. Melanie still has a strong presence in the community. When you go there, there are posters of her disappearance in many places. There's this very large billboard outside of Atchford. So I think that the memory of her has a really strong presence there.

And I'm hoping we'll help somebody find the courage to come forward and tell the truth so that they can find her. Turn off hesitation. Turn off doubt. Turn off fears. The YMCA helps you turn off whatever's holding you back so you can let your potential shine. Through our wide range of programs and services, you can turn on confidence, turn on connections, turn on possibilities.

Visit our website to see what you can achieve at the YMCA. This will be the day! Are you sure you parked over here? Do you see it anywhere? I think it's back this way. Come on.

Hey, you're going the wrong way. Feeling distracted? You're not alone. Whether renting, considering buying a home, or renewing a mortgage, many Canadians are finding it hard to focus with housing costs on their minds. For free tools and resources to help you manage your home finances and clear your head, visit canada.ca slash it pays to know. A message from the Government of Canada. Every time I come back east once or twice a year and every time driving up, I think it's just somewhere past Tomogami and there's a great big sign with Mel's picture on it.

I mean, I think about her definitely once or twice a week, but going back there and seeing that great big sign is a pretty big reminder about what happened. You know, even going for a walk up and down that bridge or driving, it just, it brings back a lot of painful memories and for a lot of years i didn't talk about it jay denny one of the teenagers with mel on the night she disappeared i've reached him where he now lives in western canada yeah it's good to talk about it things like that come upon me and having worked with cases too. You know, I've looked at countless crime scene photos and dealt with family members and probably dozens of cases. And at the time, it doesn't seem to be that pressured, but suddenly out of the blue, things will come. And now you've got to, you do have to talk about it. And so I'm glad that you're getting those opportunities now. Jay's memory of this traumatic time is hazy. We watched the movie. I mean, from what I remember,

there was a lot of friendly banter and teasing and how, however teenage, I guess kids or teenagers want to act and what they state each other. I was told to be home like somewhere in between 11 and 12. And I'm thinking I left 12.30, 1 o'clock, to the best of my knowledge. When I got home, my mother was waiting out for me and read me the riot act. Jay lived north of Ryan Chatwin's place, so would not have had to walk along Pine to get home, as Melanie probably did. And he says that he was the first to leave the Chatwin house because of his curfew. It was a fun night from what I can remember. Okay, and so you left, you left them, and that was it.

So then continue the story. The next morning, what happened? I got a call from somebody asking me if I had seen Mel, and I saw her last night at Ryan's house. Besides that, I hadn't seen her, and I didn't really think anything of it. That was the day. And then the next day when we went back to school, the police ended up coming to the high school. And I remember I got called in class and the vice principal, he sat in with us, I guess, to have an adult there.

Well, the police were asking us certain questions and whatnot. And then after they asked us their questions and we gave them a statement and whatnot, pretty much after that point, it just, everything kind of blew up. And when everybody found out that she was missing and we were some of the last people to see her. And then after that, it just kind of snowballed into, I don't know if you've read about what happened in that small little town, but it started getting very difficult for myself and Neil and Ryan, not so much Dave, but more so for Ryan and Neil. People were assuming a lot of things. People were saying a lot of things. But the longer that it went on, just from hearing all the whisperings about what a lot of the townspeople figured what happened to her, that we were involved, or we did this, or we did that,

just slowly over time, it just, I guess it just mentally drains you. And you don't realize at the time how much of an impact it actually has on your mental well-being. Of course, I can imagine, especially at such a young age. I mean, at any age, you've got a whole group of people pointing fingers and, you know, rumors. It was absolutely awful, the things that people were saying. So in the aftermath, aside from the treatment, did you talk to Neil and Ryan about what happened after you left? Did you ever talk about that night with them? To the best of my knowledge, no.

I mean, obviously there was some talk about what the hell happened after I left. I mean, the thing that I think Neil's had to live with for, you know, the better part of 19 years is the fact that why did he let her walk home alone? And he was ridiculed and he was belittled. The way that he was treated was, I wouldn't treat a dog like that. Right. Well, none of it, you had any control over from the minute it started till now. I'm just wondering if you can tell me a little bit more about what happened after in terms of investigation, police investigation. Did they ever come and talk to you in depth?

Neil and I were at his house and we were playing video games and there was a knock at his door and it's Constable Kevin Murphy from the OPP and Dwight Zipp from the Nillis County Police. And immediately, as soon as they showed up at the door, I got on the phone and I phoned my father and he said, don't you dare talk to those two. Wait. And I don't know how fast he jumped, but he came up pretty damn quick. And he read those two, officers and riot act because they

came in as soon as neil opened the door they came in and right away just the questions i'm not going to go as far to say there was accusations but mind you were 17 year old kids who were shit scared when two armed men come into the house and start throwing off questions and i mean i remember i was definitely flustered neil was definitely flustered. Neil was definitely flustered. And as quickly as they showed up, they jumped back into their cruiser and they got the hell out of there. I know my father struck the fear of God in them

and told them if he ever, excuse my language, fucking talked to these two kids without a parent's presence, you better watch out. And I can't speak for Neil, but I know neither one of those police ever came near me ever again after that. They never polygraphed you then? They never polygraphed me, no. Okay. In 1996, Tamiskaming Shores had a population of around 11,000.

That number includes New Liskard, Haleybury and Diamond. If it was a local who played a part in Mel's disappearance, would a shift in their behaviour be more difficult to mask? Or would the collective Community Devastation Act as a veil? Both Jay and Mel's best friend tell me they didn't pick up on any red flags. I think it scared the living jesus out of a lot of people as well. pick up on any red flags. I think it scared the living bejesus out of a lot of people as well. So I'm sure a lot of people definitely maybe acted differently or a lot of people

didn't walk home as much as they used to or when they did it was only during daylight hours. But as for remembering if people were acting differently or anything I can't really say because I was too wrapped up and wondering where the hell Mel was to even pay attention to anybody else. How do you tell somebody who's done something as heinous as this to come forward? I mean, they've had to live with it for the past 23 years. So if you don't have the balls to come forward and take responsibility for your actions,

then just leave an anonymous tip so Jessie and Céline can have some closure and the rest of her friends and family can finally put this to bed. That's all, man. I'm all yelled out. I'm all sworn out. I'm all just, if you can find it inside of your heart, do the right thing, please. Hello, is this David? This is David.

Hi, it's Bob Matthews calling from the OPT. My apologies for not getting back to you. No problem. No problem at all. I'm glad you called. I'd reached out to the Ontario Provincial Police to see if they could help confirm anything I'd heard so far about Mel's disappearance. But the phone line we get isn't the best. You know, Celine is at a point, she's a very compassionate woman, and I give her so much

credit for keeping our hand to the fire on this. She keeps us on our toes. You know, I know Celine has told me to herself, she doesn't care about charges anymore. She just wants to bring her daughter home. But I also want to hold the person accountable for this crime. You know, I want to work with you. I just, you know, at this point, we couldn't just open up our filing cabinets to you. The reason Detective Inspector Matthews calls is to tell me he'd like to set up another time to call

so he can have time to review the case with other investigators. More police coming soon. Hello? Hi, Samia, it's Dave Ridgen here. Yes. Is this a good time now for a little while? Yes. Okay, great.

It's the perfect time. This is Samia Banshabi, a friend of Mel's and the group that day. They'd tried to watch the movie at her house, but her parents said no. And Samia herself didn't attend the actual movie night as it happened later at the Chatwin house. But I've heard that Samia has some information that may And then Neil and Ryan, Melanie and her friend, they all showed up. Dave was there and they asked if we could watch movies at my house. And my mom unfortunately said no because we were packing to move.

So they left and I walked with them halfway. I walked from my house to the bridge, and then I left them. I came back home with my dog, and I'm telling you everything because I've already told this to the cops. So a van stopped me, a white van stopped me. My dog barked a lot. My dog was very impressive. It was a big dog.

And there were two men in the van, and they asked me for directions. And my dog just barked too much, and it kind of scared me, so I backed up, and I didn't give them directions. And I went home. That's how it happened. Samia says this all happened around 7 p.m. by her recollection because it wasn't dark yet,

but her timing clashes with Céline's memory that would place these events as happening closer to 10 p.m. or later, and she says that her encounter with the van and the men in it was less than 100 meters from where Mel lived. Okay, and so you walk by Mel's, and then you'd say, shortly thereafter, two men in a white van. Now, can you describe, first describe the van? What do you remember about the van, other than its color? You know, it's the kind of van that you always see on TV. It's like the big van

and there's like the door that slides on the side. Okay. Did it have any windows? No. No windows, okay. And can you describe the people in the van?

That's the thing. There were two. I'm pretty sure there were two. And they look like they were from the country. They weren't city people. They don't like city people not too clean on themselves, you know, maybe not shaved properly. Like I didn't feel safe, you know. But I was a teenager and I was a girl, so also I take my precautions. Samia tells me that to her at the time, the two men looked to be in their 30s or 40s.

She remembers that they were white, no glasses, but cannot recall precise details like hair or eye color. She describes their clothes as not proper and that at least one of them wore a white undershirt. The van itself, she says, had rust on it. Did you ever see that white van again anywhere? No. Okay. Do you remember where they asked you if you knew where it was? Like what were the directions they were looking for? I don't know. They were asking me for a street in Uleskert. I know that, but I wasn't going to give them any directions with my dog barking and kind of like attacking. Samia says she went home and never saw the van or its occupants again.

If anyone remembers a van or drivers that match this description from that time in 1996, please let me know. The nightmare just doesn't end then. Yeah. The nightmare just won't go away. It doesn't end then. Yeah. The nightmare just won't go away. It doesn't end. Dave Bromley spent much of the day and early evening with Melanie and her best friend, as well as Jay Denemy, Ryan Chatwin, and Neil Fortier. Dave continued with the group toward Ryan Chatwin's place, but didn't go in.

He'd had a fender-bender accident about a day before that, he says, and wasn't allowed out that night, but has a unique perspective of the aftermath of Mel's disappearance. I don't know if there's many people who one moment they're laughing with somebody and then the next morning they wake up and that person's no longer around to laugh with. Like, I don't like talking about it, to be honest with you. Dave has some thoughts on a theory that's been floating around for some time. But first, I start by asking what it was like living in New Liskard. There's no doubt about it, buddy. I don't care what anybody says.

It's definitely a discriminatory town. Like, I had a buddy who lived in Earlton, man. He was 16 years old, and he just happened to like men. And they used to spray paint things to his dad's barn. And the guy had to move to Toronto when he was 16. Dude, like, it's a tough area.

I know where I grew up, man. Not easy. She's an old hick town, man. And that's never going to change. People might get better, but it's still an old hick town, man. And that's never going to change. People might get better, but it's still an old hick town. Can you give me some impressions of Mel or what you remember about her? Oh man, I can literally genuinely tell you that she was salt of the earth. She was super nice.

She was very intelligent. She went to a different high school than us, so we never went to school together, but we just hung out. You know, she literally was a breath of fresh air. Dave Bromley was a year ahead of Ryan Chatwin, Neil Fortier, and Jay Denemy at school. Did you ever talk to any of those guys about what was going on that night or the details of what happened at the movie night? Well, I can tell you that I did not like the way things ended up. And I don't mean just in terms of Mel gone missing.

You know, the part that's been killing me for a long time is the fact that my my friends didn't walk her home right and i can tell you that that definitely came up you talked to them about it well like i i couldn't believe that they didn't walk her home did you walk her home did you get an answer to that did they ever answer why i can can't remember, man. Honestly, I would have just got something like, oh, you know, like 16, 17-year-olds, right? But you would have remembered if it was something sinister or sounding. Like, surely you would have remembered. 100%.

Like, I've walked in some blizzards, man. Big-time blizzards, right? To make sure somebody got home. And, you know, these guys just didn't do that. And, you know, it guys just didn't do that. And, you know, it's been good. I wouldn't call us the best of friends ever since. Let's put it that way.

I'm sure they've suffered some. I can't let it go, man. I'm sure you can't. And I'm sure that they've also suffered guilt, either brought to them by others or self-inflicted guilt. But I'm going to be honest. I really do hope so, because life has never been the same for me, man. I wasn't dating her and I was I was the first guy to be honest. I really do hope so. Because life has never been the same for me, man. I wasn't dating her and I was the first guy to go home. Right?

Before even a movie was even played. I didn't even go into the house. I went home. Like, yeah, dude. It stays with a guy, man. Slyn thinks that when we find her, that it's going to go away. And I just don't know. I don't know if it's ever going to go away.

How does something like that ever change? Just knowing what happened, does it make it go away? No. Had they walked her home, man, you and I would not even be talking right now. We wouldn't even know each other. Right, yeah. I asked Dave if he remembers talking to police and he says they interviewed him once in the back of a police car parked in his parents' driveway. And you didn't do a lie detector or anything? I did not do a lie detector.

It's almost scary to say that now, because I feel like now if people were to find that out, all of a sudden I'm the bad guy, right? But they didn't ask me to do a lie detector i'm assuming because i was gone home i had gone home early right and my parents were able to cooperate that and normally i disobey everything my parents tell me and it's like the one time i actually followed the rules right and you wake up and then everything's changed, right? It's tough, man. It's tough. I can hear it in your voice. Nothing, nothing, nothing is a cure.

So Lynn says that all she needs is to know where Mel is now. She doesn't necessarily need to see the inside of a courtroom. I want more. That's Mel's mom speaking, and I respect her. I respect everything that she thinks and feels, but I want more. I want to know who it was.

I want to know what happened. I want to know. Because, dude, between me and you, I want to be the first one to find out, right? I want there to be me finding out, and then a few days later, then it becomes public notice because I want to have an opportunity to rectify things. I feel Dave's urge for vengeance through the phone and change the direction of conversation towards something more constructive, thinking through what might

have happened to Mel. I think that, you know, potential hit and run. Except they hit and took her and ran out of fear. That's a possible. I think that hit and run, it could be a

one person. I don't believe one person. I i think she was about 120 125 person i believe she was athletic enough that she definitely could have slipped loose and uh man unless you're faster than her you're not going to catch her she knew how to run yeah okay i know she knows how to run she could run dude so she smelled anything and you to remember, if she was even in the middle of the bridge, she was one to two minute run away from being at home. Remember, this is Saturday night in the bar. I know you're thinking 2 o'clock is Sunday morning, but you've been to the bar before on a Saturday night, and when you got out of the bar, it was still basically Saturday night to you. And there's a lot of people hanging around for a long time after the bar closes right outside there so in my opinion if we're working off what you're

thinking that if maybe somebody outside the bar if they were watching her and they were drunk and they were stupid then they would have followed her and they would have waited for her to get off the bridge guaranteed what you just said is key the phrase to me waited for her. So the highest percentage for me is that the person or persons who took Mel had a vehicle. I don't think that there's any case or scenario where it's an individual without a vehicle. The simplest explanation is that they had to be at their vehicle already. I just got goosebumps. In my mind, one of the more likely explanations is that Mel did not see her captor or captors and walked right up to them while they were standing near their vehicle or

sitting inside it. Other explanations related to cars pulling up beside her carry with them a higher risk of being seen, but also the better possibility that Mel will run away. But depending on whether Mel knew her captor or captors or not, the speed of any interaction and the element of shock, not much time needs to pass before something terrible happens to Mel. Would people come from out of town like come into New Liskard to have a good time Saturday night kind of thing? 100% people from Earlton, maybe even from all the way up to the Quebec border. People from Helbury, Cobalt, North Cobalt, guaranteed 100%. I never thought of that until something you said painted that picture in my head.

That's an avenue too, but again, there's nothing anybody can do on that street at that time. Police are flying up and down that street. It's well lit, and people are getting out of the bar. I can't imagine anybody even fucking trying that. The main bar in town was a place called Doc's Bar, situated on Armstrong Street, not far north of where Mel would have turned south toward the bridge. I want to ask police about this bar, and whether or not the clientele were examined, or if it had security cameras. It seems like there's a lot of parking area up alongside the river there. Has that always been there?

I asked Dave about fishing at the Wabi Bridge. Walleye fishing is popular there and can be done effectively at night, and I've noticed there's a few parking spaces at the south side that could seclude a vehicle. But there are trails, there's trails down in that bank down by the river though. So you can go under the bridge? Yeah, 100%. We used to walk down there as kids all the time. That's where I first had my very first cigarette. Okay, well that's interesting. I asked Dave about the theory I've already heard about mistaken identity. The story goes that one of the three black girls in town, a girl of similar

age to Mel, allegedly mentioned she had a drug debt. People theorize that Mel was taken by someone that was owed drug money because the person who owed the money looked like Mel. I just, like, seriously, man, do you think, like, one person, one black person looks like every black person? I don't. Because I don't. I don't, right? And the people that are being compared to in terms of the missing identity, I don't feel like they look like her.

Well, I mean, mean also mistaken identity aside like look at the motivation it takes a lot to take somebody off the street like that it takes a big decision so now if it was a mistaken identity and she is like 16 15 to 17 years old in high school and it was a drug related thing how big could her bill have been 300 bucks maybe some grass here grass hash and oil man that, and oil, man. And mushrooms. And maybe acid. That's all I remember ever seeing around in high school. That's it, man. 150 bucks?

That's not enough for people. That doesn't make sense. It's a lower likelihood in my mind and Dave's that a teenager could accrue a drug debt big enough to be murdered for. And if people picked Mel up thinking she was someone else, would they kill her because she wasn't?

You know, we can sit and conjecture all day, and I'm sure it drives you absolutely crazy to go through all these theories. It just won't go, man. It doesn't matter how far I move away. It doesn't matter what I do every day. It never leaves. Never leaves. Well, Dave, if you can imagine that the guy or guys that's listening to this is listening,

and who is the person who did this to Mel, what would you like to say to them? I'd just like to say, you know, no matter what wrong has been done, there is only a little bit of right that can come out of this by giving us the information and allowing us to have some sort of peace of mind and have some sort of chance of some sort of normal life, if that's even possible left, right? I want the opportunity and I want Slint to have the opportunity and just to have the opportunity to maybe be able to put things back together. That's it. Okay.

Like I have four kids man and I have a fifth one on the way. We have four daughters right and I look at their faces every day and sometimes this stuff goes through my mind, right? It's just like, well, am I going to be able to protect them at all times, right?

And the answer is no, I'm not. And do I get unlucky again? You know what I mean? Do I pay some sort of fucking moral price for other decisions I've done in life? I don't know done in life i don't know man i don't know i don't know i just hope that uh these people have enough guts to uh come forward and do what's right man try to give people some sort of peace of mind i still want to know what happened right right? I think we deserve to know. We do.

Mel's boyfriend at the time of her disappearance, Neil Fortier, has gotten back to me, but agreed only to email correspondence. Clearly the people who were with Mel that night were heavily scrutinized by police and by the community, Neil to arguably a greater extent, and feelings of guilt may be playing into his decisions not to speak on the phone. He would have, understandably, due to proximity, been a main suspect. I ask Neil what he can remember about the aftermath of Mel's disappearance. He writes that he feels a lot of sadness and guilt

for not walking her home. Maybe things would have been different. Ultimately, Neil says he did not walk Mel outside. I ask Neil about Mel's mood and he says he remembers that she was in a good mood that day and night. Neil was polygraphed by police and ruled out as a suspect, but even so, he writes, some members of the public still believe he had something to do with Melanie's disappearance. I end our correspondence by sending Neil part of the transcript from my call with Céline Ethier, where she says she doesn't blame him or the others for what happened. This is something I rarely if ever do, but in this case, I felt compelled somehow. I'm hopeful that it might offer him some kind of comfort.

I'm getting closer to being able to construct a credible timeline of Mel's last day and night, but I still feel that I need much more information from eyewitness accounts. What happened after Mel left the party? Did anyone else see her? And what about those scratches on Dennis LeVay's arm that Céline told me about? Did police look into that. The Next Call is hosted, written, and produced by me, David Ridgen. The series is also produced by Hadil Abdel-Nabi. Our senior producer and sound design lead is Cecil Fernandez.

Emily Canal is our digital producer, and our story editor is Chris Oak. The executive producer of CBC Podcasts is Araf Noorani. To see images from the investigation, find us on Facebook and Instagram at CBC Podcasts. And if you're looking for another investigative series to listen to, check out Uncover from CBC Podcasts. Find Uncover on the CBC Listen app, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.