RCMP 'recently' identified witness in 40-year-old B.C. missing person case; still lack answers on what happened

Sunday will mark 40 years since the disappearance of Joanne Pedersen.

Sunday will mark 40 years since the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl in Chilliwack, and local Mounties say they have "not lost hope" that they will find out what happened to her.

Joanne Pedersen, also known as Jo-Anne Pedersen, called her parents from a phone booth at the Penny Pinchers store near the corner of Vedder and Watson roads in Chilliwack on the night of Feb. 19, 1983.

The 10-year-old asked her parents to come pick her up, as she had been locked out of their nearby home.

"By the time her parents arrived at the store, Joanne was gone," Chilliwack RCMP said in a statement Friday, ahead of the 40th anniversary of her disappearance.

"She has not been seen or heard from since."

In the past, police said, investigators have asked the public for help identifying an unknown man seen in the phone booth with Pedersen prior to her disappearance.

"Recently, police were able to identify this male and rule him out as a suspect," Mounties said in their statement Friday.

Police had previously suggested they believed the man was helping Pederson, though they had been unable to identify and speak to him.

"The investigation into Joanne’s disappearance has never stopped and continues to be actively pursued," said Cpl. Carmen Kiener, in the statement.

"The Chilliwack RCMP Serious Crime Unit is seeking information from the public that can assist in solving this mystery … If you have any information relating to Joanne’s disappearance please contact the Chilliwack RCMP as we are still hopeful we can provide answers for Joanne’s family."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chilliwack RCMP at 604-792-4611. Tips can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.