Canada's missing persons cases featured on new website

The RCMP has rolledout a new national websitefeaturing unsolved missing personscases andinstances of unidentified human remains.

The site, Canada's Missing, was launched Thursday by theRCMPs National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains.

RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson said the site brings together information that was previously public, but notkept togetherin one central place.

"Canadasmissing.ca provides law enforcement, medical examiners and chief coroners with a powerful tool in resolving missing persons and unidentified remains cases and gives the public an easy-to-use access point to ensure that relevant information is received by investigators," Paulson said in a written statement.

Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, said the tool could increase publicparticipation in locating missing peopleand identifying human remains.

"This website gives the public a chance to make a difference in finding some of Canada's missing. Each person who takes the time to visit canadasmissing.ca could help bring a loved one home to their family," Toews said, alsoin a written statement.

The RCMP says that no matter how old an investigation is, or how insignificant a piece of information may seem, one tip from one person could be the key to solving a case.

Site incomplete

The databasebehind the websiteis not completeand only represents a sampling ofcases from across Canada, with just 715 entries.

On Thursday,a search for cases of unidentified remains returns 105 results forOntario, 45 resultsfor B.C.,fourfor Saskatchewan, and one case each for Quebec, Manitoba,and New Brunswick.

Out of 540 entries for missing children andadults, 40records are for B.C. residentswho went missing those recordsincludeMichael Dunahee,Matthew Huszar, and a number of women whoare thought to have gone missing along northernB.C.'s Highway of Tears.

The database also contains information on 18 people who are related to a missing person's case, either by association or family relationship.

The RCMP says the case informationon canadasmissing.ca comes from police officers, medical examiners and chief coroners and cases are addedby request of primary investigators.