'One foot in front of the other': Cortney Lake's family at court for ex-boyfriend's update

Family and friends of Cortney Lake gathered in a St. John's provincial courtroom Tuesday morning for an update on Lake's ex-boyfriend's matter.

• 'She deserves to be found': Strangers join family in search for Cortney Lake

Philip Steven Smith, 25, did not appear in court Tuesday morning, but was instead represented by his lawyer, Robert Hoskins.

Smithhas been in custody since June 27 for breaching court orders, including driving while disqualified.

Tuesday's court appearance was a status update. Smith's lawyer said he had asked the Crown for additional disclosure materials Friday. The Crown attorney said it should be ready in the next week or so.

Aug.4 has been set for the next status update.

• Court appearance for Philip Smith, Cortney Lake's ex-boyfriend, set over
• Cortney Lake disappearance: Police search ex-boyfriend's home, remove items

Lake's aunt,GlendaPower, told CBC News her familyis"pleased with the court's decision to keep [Smith] in custody."

Court documents show Smith pleaded guilty to a number of offences on June 7, the same day Lake was last seen.

One of those offences was an April 15 assault against Lake. He was convicted of that and received a suspended sentence.

He was also convicted of breaching a recognizance that prohibited him from contacting Cortney Lake or her mother, Lisa Lake. That offence occurred two days before his June 7 court appearance. Smith was sentenced to two days time served.

Lake was last seen the night of June 7, and police said the case is now a homicide investigation.

No one has been charged.

As for Lake's family, Power said they continue "putting one foot in front of the other. Praying we find her."

• Troubled timeline: 30 minutes in court reveal 2 months of conflict between Cortney Lake and Philip Smith

Volunteers have joined Lake's family in several organizedsearches in the last several weeks and more are planned.

According to Power, a search in the Paddy's Pond area in early July, did turn up "one item of particular interest," butit is not yet known what that item was.