The RNC say the case surrounding the disappearance of Cortney Lake is now being investigated as a homicide, and they have identified people of interest.
New images captured on a dash cam show Lake getting into a black GMC pickup truck on Michener Avenue in Mount Pearl at 7:54 on the evening of Wednesday, June 7th. The video shows the truck pulling a u-turn as soon as Lake gets in.
*UPDATE* RNC Investigating Cortney LAKE’s Disappearance as Homicide
Read the media release here: https://t.co/My0JXBCzmp#HelpFindCortney pic.twitter.com/sGsNo3e4OR— RNC (@RNC_PoliceNL) June 30, 2017
Police say they believe Lake was taken to a secluded, wooded, or less travelled area within a short drive from where she was picked up.
RNC Constable Geoff Higdon will not say why police believe the case is a homicide, but says a substantial amount of evidence has been gathered and they are satisfied that a homicide has taken place.
They are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed a black GMC pickup on the evening of Wednesday, June 7th in any of those types of areas.
The truck has a distinctive Browning camouflage deer head decal (right) in the passenger side of the back window. Anyone who may have been on roads in and around Mount Pearl, the Outer Ring Road, Galway or TCH at that time and has a dash cam is being asked to review their footage.
On Wednesday, RNC converged on a home on Alice Drive in the capital city’s east end and removed a number of items from the home and seized a black GMC truck.
Neighbours identified the house as that of Lake’s ex-boyfriend, Philip Steven Smith. He is currently in custody pending a bail hearing on a list of breaches.
The truck seized has a prominent deer shape logo in the back. Constable Higdon would not offer comment on the link between the truck that picked up Lake on the day she went missing and the one seized from the Alice Drive home this week. While he says he can’t deny the obvious, he cannot comment further on matters that are part of the ongoing investigation.
Tow truck taking away black truck parked at 22 Alice Drive. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/js3vJrbigZ
— Gerri Lynn Mackey (@GerriLynnMackey) June 28, 2017
You can watch the entire statement with RNC Cst. Geoff Higdon:
Cortney’s family has also issued a statement. You can read that here.
