A woman from Surrey, British Columbia, has been found alive after going missing more than 50 years ago. Her daughter's determination made the discovery possible.
Lucy Johnson, now 77, was originally reported missing by her husband, Marvin, in May 1965, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Upon investigation, the police found that she actually hadn't been seen since September 1961. The discovery prompted a murder investigation, with Marvin Johnson as a suspect. He was never charged, though, and the Surrey RCMP Missing Person Unit learned he passed away in the late 1990s.
Their daughter, Linda Evans -- who was 7 or 8 when Johnson went missing -- hoped to find her mother some day. This past June, Evans was inspired to continue the search after the Surrey Leader ran a picture and profile of her mother as part of the RCMP's "Missing of the Month" series.
"With this series, the Missing Persons Unit is appealing to the public to assist with solving these mysteries and bring closure to these individuals’ families and their loved ones," the RCMP explained on its website.
Evans then decided to put an ad in the Yukon News, a newspaper in northern B.C., the Surrey Leader reported. She knew her mother was originally from the area.
Shortly after, she received a phone call from a woman in Yukon who said the woman in the ad was her mother too.
It turned out that Johnson was living in Yukon with a new family, including four children.
"The original daughter of Lucy Johnson, who went above and beyond to promote and try to generate tips all over B.C., actually somehow connected with a stepsister, who she did not know she had at the time," Cpl. Bert Paquet, spokesman for Surrey RCMP, told CBC News on Thursday. "The stars aligned, the timing was perfect."
Upon hearing the news, Evans told the Surrey Leader that she has a lot of questions, but she's excited to visit her mother.
"I just hope I can be a part of her life," she told the paper. "I'll just give her a big hug and hope the words come easy."
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