Fifty years after a university student disappeared from her apartment in Sudbury, Ont., her family is appealing for any information that could finally lead to answers and closure.
Jane Smith was a 20-year-old student at Laurentian University and aspiring social worker, her family says.
She was last seen on August 9, 1975, in her basement apartment on Charlotte Street by her roommate around 2 a.m., and was reported missing that morning.
Apart from what Smith was wearing at the time, nothing was taken from her room, says her younger brother John, who lives in Bradford, Ont. Her bank accounts have never been touched.
“It was devastating for all of us, especially the not knowing, the lack of anything,” he said.
John said he is seeking answers for their mother, who is now 91. While the entire family has been deeply affected by Smith’s disappearance, he said it has been particularly painful for her.
“I don’t ever want to imagine what somebody would go through losing their daughter and then just never knowing,” said Katie Smith, John’s daughter and Jane’s niece.
“Losing is one thing, never knowing is another.”
Given how long it’s been since her aunt went missing, Katie said she thinks someone coming forward with new information is the only way her aunt’s disappearance will be solved.
“The family would be forever grateful for anybody to come forward and say something,” she said.
“There’s no judgment. We just would like answers.”
CBC Toronto has reached out to the Greater Sudbury Police Service for an update on the case and will update this story if we receive a response.
‘A real go-getter’
John remembers his sister as bubbly and always smiling.
Smith was a volunteer for a number of causes and was elected to the student council at Laurentian University during her first year. The summer she went missing, she had decided to stay in Sudbury and was working at a local Canadian Tire.
“She was a real go-getter,” John said. “She was somebody who wanted to make a difference.”
He said he thinks it’s unlikely that his sister ran away and then did not contact her family for fifty years.
“I don’t think it was in her nature to run away,” he said. “As far as I know, she was happy and really liked being in Sudbury.”
Meanwhile, both Katie and her sister, Jennifer Smith, say they have felt the loss of an aunt they never knew.
They’ve heard stories about her, including from childhood friends, that paint the picture of “such a lovely person,” Jennifer said.
“She would have been a great influence on our lives,” she said.
Katie and Jennifer said they’ve seen the weight of Smith’s disappearance on their father and grandmother.
“It’s not something that they really enjoy talking about because they loved her so much,” Katie said.
She recalled an incident where Sudbury police called her grandmother and left a voicemail. They were calling to ask if they could post information about Smith’s disappearance online — but their grandmother thought police had found her.
“Seeing how upset she was and just knowing that the one thing she wanted was closure … that was really heartbreaking to see, and [is] something that we want to make sure actually does happen one day,” Katie said.
The 50th anniversary of Smith’s disappearance feels like the final opportunity to encourage people to come forward, her nieces said. Smith would have turned 70 in March this year, and her nieces think anyone who has information would be around the same age.
“[We’re] just hopeful that whatever pressure that they felt is no longer there and they’re willing to say something,” Katie said.
Even the smallest details could be helpful, the family said.
“People’s memories are fading or they’ve unfortunately passed away,” Jennifer said. “Before we lose any more information, we’d like to be able to get some back.”
They are also hoping to hear stories about Smith from friends and people who knew her.
“That way we can hold onto her memory a little bit better,” Jennifer said.
Smith was described as five-feet-four-inches tall with reddish brown hair and blue eyes at the time of her disappearance, according to the Sudbury Crime Stoppers website. She had a small round scar between her eyebrows and wore contact lenses.
She was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt with a zipper, pouch and hood, Wrangler blue jeans and red Cougar running shoes. She also had a large black shoulder bag.
Anyone with information can contact Sudbury police or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers.
