The family of a 19-year-old girl murdered along the Highway of Tears has come forward to plead for new tips in her case.

Dianne Weddell’s sister Gale Weys vanished in 1973 after leaving work in Clearwater, B.C. She had planned to hitchhike to her parents’ home in Kamloops, but never made it.

Her body was found one year later, but to this day her death remains unsolved.

“As a family, we accepted that this open wound would never be resolved with any certainty. We had given up hope,” Weddell said.

But that all changed after news came that Mounties scored their first major break in the Highway of Tears investigation.

DNA evidence helped police identify suspected American serial killer Bobby Jack Fowler as the man responsible for the death of Colleen MacMillen, a 16-year-old slain the year after Weys while hitchhiking near 100 Mile House.

Investigators believe Fowler, who died in an Oregon prison in 2006, is responsible for at least two other murders in B.C., including Weys’ and that of Pamela Darlington in Kamloops.

But Staff Sgt. Wayne Clary said Wednesday the DNA evidence is inconclusive in those cases, and police require more information to consider them closed.

“We still have all those [evidence samples] for the hope that potentially down the road there could be something, but weather, humidity, it destroys DNA. It breaks it down,” Clary said.

Weddell, who was joined Wednesday by her elderly parents and six siblings, put out an emotional call for anyone with information to come forward.

“We, Gail’s family, are asking people to think back to that time in the early 1970s. If you have any memories of this man, Bobby Jack Fowler, or any information please call [police],” she said.

Police have confirmed that the roofing company where Fowler was employed in 1973 would send employees, including the suspect, to Clearwater to pick up materials.

In the case of Pamela Darlington, witnesses have already said a vehicle matching the one Fowler owned was seen at the crime scene shortly before her body was discovered.

“All I remember is the hood was up and the fellow was working underneath it,” said witness Frank Almond. “I mentioned to police there was a guy here with an old Chrysler.”

The identification of Fowler marked the first significant advancement in the Highway of Tears probe, which comprises 18 cases of women who went missing or were murdered along B.C. highways.

Dozens of murders have been linked to the Highway of Tears, but authorities say 18 cases share hallmarks and may be the work of one or more serial killers.

Investigators said Wednesday they have not ruled out the possibility of expanding their list.

With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Lisa Rossington