Investigators name person of interest in disappearance of Vancouver Island woman

Mounties have released startling new details about their investigation into the disappearance of Amber Manthorne, who was reported missing on Vancouver Island more than two years ago, and is believed to have met with foul play.

"She's not likely to be found alive," Const. Beth O'Connor of the Port Alberni RCMP said bluntly in a news conference Wednesday, where investigators released a surveillance video taken from a gas station in the Port Alberni area shortly after the 40-year-old woman was reported missing on July 7, 2022.

Manthorne's vehicle, a white 2021 Jeep Compass, was found abandoned on the side of a rural road south of Nanaimo two days later.

The missing woman was initially believed to be in the company of Justin Hall, an ex-boyfriend, whom she had told friends she was going to meet with on the day she vanished.

Hall was later located by police who determined Manthorne was not with him, police said in a statement shortly after her disappearance.

Hall was found dead in Merritt last year, just before the one-year anniversary of Manthorne's disappearance. On Wednesday, police named Hall as a person of interest in the missing person case.

"We're hopeful that somebody who knows more about Justin Hall may have information that they're willing to bring forward that's going to lead us to Amber," Sgt. Chet Carroll told reporters.

Surveillance video released

In the newly released video from a Husky gas station on Third Avenue, Hall is seen removing a suitcase from the backseat of Manthorne's vehicle and trying to place it in the trunk. However, a large black tote container is taking up too much room in the trunk so Hall eventually returns the suitcase to the backseat.

The container was not in Manthorne's Jeep when the vehicle was discovered. Neither the container nor Manthorne's cellphone have ever been found.

Justin Hall is seen removing a suitcase from the backseat of Amber Manthorne's vehicle and trying to place it in the trunk. However, a large black tote container is taking up too much room in the trunk so Hall eventually returns the suitcase to the backseat. (RCMP)

"We can't say that her body was in that tote but we don’t want to ignore the fact that it has never been recovered," Carroll said. "We want to be open to all the possibilities but we don’t know that absolutely."

According to police, the gas station video was recorded at 4:50 a.m. on July 8, 2022.

Hall was spotted again in the vehicle later that morning when he visited a McDonald's on Johnston Road at 7:02 a.m. Just over two hours later, he was recorded making a purchase at a Walmart in Nanaimo, investigators said.

Hall was driving Manthorne's vehicle when he pulled into the BC Ferries terminal at Nanaimo's Duke Point and bought a ticket to the B.C. mainland at 10:26 a.m.

Police say Hall, who was alone in the vehicle, seemingly changed his mind and did not board the ferry.

At 11:03 a.m., Hall was recorded leaving the area in the Jeep, which was found shortly after 3 p.m. the following day near the corner of McGillivray Way and Creekwood Place in the rural community of Cassidy.

The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit was called to assist in the search shortly after Manthorne was reported missing.

"We understand that it may be concerning to hear that the VIIMCU has been called to assist," said Insp. Kevin O’Donnell, the officer in charge of the major crimes unit, one week after Manthorne was reported missing.

"However, we want to assure the community that this is not unusual in cases where a person’s disappearance is out of character and criminality cannot be immediately ruled out." 

'Absolutely not like her'

Shortly after her disappearance, a friend told CTV News that Manthorne was scheduled to be the maid of honour at a friend's wedding later that month.

The wedding would eventually be postponed as friends and family focused instead on finding the missing woman.

Amber Manthorne is described as a white woman with a slim build who stands roughly five feet tall with blonde hair. (Facebook/Amber Dawn Grace)

Hundreds of volunteers distributed flyers and searched several areas Manthorne was known to frequent, as well as the area where her vehicle was located, but have found no sign of the woman.

"We are all very scared. This is absolutely not like her," friend Kristie St. Claire said one week after Manthorne's disappearance.

"The close network of friends that were attached to that wedding are just devastated about what's happening," she added. "It's affecting people in a large scale at this time, and deeply."

Lorraine Murray, the missing woman's mother, issued a statement through the police Wednesday, asking anyone with information to "help us find Amber and bring her home"

Police say the investigation remains active and are asking anyone who locates the missing tote container or cellphone to contact investigators.

"We will keep searching until she's found but we need your help to bring Amber home to her family," O'Connor said.