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The mother of a Peace River woman who vanished without a trace 25 years ago can’t believe it’s been so long since she last saw her daughter.
“Oh my, 25 years. Has it really been that long?” said Annemarie Pruyser, 82. “I stopped counting. I try not to think about it too much.”
Pruyser’s daughter, 18-year-old Carolyn Pruyser, disappeared May 17, 1984, after watching the Edmonton Oilers beat the New York Islanders 7-2 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The blond-haired blue-eyed teen was back at home in Peace River from school at the University of Alberta when she went out to watch the game with friends. After dropping a girlfriend off before midnight, she disappeared.
Her father found her abandoned car, parked on a steep embankment on Kaufman Hill road where local youths often partied near her parents’ home. Her purse and keys were still inside.
Family said police suspected foul play in her disappearance.
About 10 years ago, her mother told Sun Media there was a suspect all along in Carolyn’s case. No arrests have been made.
Pruyser said she still wonders what it would be like if her daughter returned home one day – although she tries not to get her hopes up.
“I sometimes think she might just be very close by and someone has never talked about it, you just don’t know,” she said. “But we’ve almost given up on the whole thing. There’s so little known about it and there hasn’t been anything new.”
Once in a while, Pruyser said she gets a phone call from the police to check in. But there haven’t been any new leads or developments in the last few years, she added.
The teen’s father never lived to see his daughter’s case progress – he died three years ago.
The rest of the family – three sisters – have moved on to pursue teaching careers, Pruyser said.
While he couldn’t comment on this particular case, acting Cpl. Jason Cann with the Peace River RCMP said many missing persons cases remain open, with any tips from the public added to the files. Each case is also marked with set review dates.
In the meantime, Carolyn’s family and friends have started up a Facebook group in her memory as well as to provide a place of support for anyone who has seen their loved ones go missing. Carolyn’s command for French and her lovely smile were just a few of the memories her loved ones reminisced about.
A scholarship, the Carolyn Pruyser Friendship Awards, have also been established in her name.
“If there’s something new, we’ll talk about her. But you can only say so much.”
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