Friends of Amber Manthorne are asking people who may have tips in her missing persons case to call the Port Alberni RCMP.
"We have been asked for all incoming messages about Amber's case be directed to the Port Alberni RCMP detachment," friend Cheryl Payne wrote on the Facebook page 'Finding Amber Manthorne.'
"We are a volunteer group of people that loved Amber and the last few days have been very hard to manage and has taken a toll on all of us," Payne wrote last week. "To be honest, it has been an absolute nightmare."
Manthorne was last seen on July 7, 2022 and was reported missing the next day. She has never been found. After two years without significant information released in her case, Port Alberni RCMP sent out a plea on Oct. 16, 2024 for more information. They shared CCTV video of Manthorne's ex-boyfriend, Justin Hall, trying to put a suitcase in the hatchback of Manthorne's 2021 Jeep Compass just before 5 a.m. on July 8, 2022. There was also a black and grey tote in the back of the car that was never recovered. Police said the suitcase was recovered, and her car was found on July 9 in Cassidy, south of Nanaimo.
Police also said neither Amber's nor Justin's cellphones were ever recovered; Amber's pinged off local cell towers in the Alberni Valley for several days after she went missing. Police consider the phones and the tote to be key pieces of evidence in the case.
Hall died a year after Amber went missing, and his body was found in Merritt, B.C. Police said at a press conference that not being able to ask Hall, the only person of interest, any questions has stalled the investigation.
Payne and some of Amber's other friends were at the police station to hear RCMP Const. Beth O'Connor say they believe Amber has met with foul play "and that she's not likely to be found alive."
After the new information was released, Payne noted the 'Finding Amber Manthorne' page was getting a lot of posts and people were sending messages with information to admins.
"We ask that you contact the police, as ultimately they have the best chance of finding Amber," Payne wrote on the page.
"(Port Alberni RCMP) Sgt. Chet Carroll wants to find her and is very invested in her case. We have full confidence in his ability to do so," Payne wrote. "We hope you guys reach out and want to thank you personally for keeping Amber in your thoughts."
Anyone with information about Amber's disappearance should call the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424 and quote police file No. 2022-6674 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
