With police again appealing for information, a man claiming to be Amber’s boyfriend contacted CHEK News. Although many believe he was the last to see Amber, he says he wasn’t. Search and rescue personnel are no longer searching the Cassidy area south of Nanaimo, but friends have lined the area with posters as they hunt for Manthorne. Neighbors near where her Jeep was found say they are looking everywhere. “Everyone is looking. We checked all the buildings that someone could go into that you don’t visit regularly,” said Steve Stupich. Manthorne’s 2021 Jeep Compass was found Friday afternoon on McGillivary Way near Nanaimo. After she disappeared, police said she may have been with a man. He was identified as Justin Hall, whom Manthorn had been dating for almost a year. Although they were recently divorced, Manthorne told a friend on the phone that she was going to see Hall on Thursday night. Her friends believe she left her home on Grand Central Lake west of Port Alberni the night before her Jeep was found. “She had a present with her for him. She was planning to see him that night,” said Kristie St. Claire, family friend. Maudish found Hall earlier this week. “Investigators are not really able to release the details of where he was located or when, but we can say that we have been in contact with him and investigators have tracked him down, so the search for Amber is ongoing. We’ve closed that track and are continuing to search for Amber,” said Staff Sgt. Janelle Shoihet of the BC RCMP. On Wednesday, CHEK News received a message from Hall’s email address. “…I didn’t hurt my girlfriend. I don’t know why he’s not back home,” Hall wrote. “After our fight, I panicked and just wanted to get away from everyone. I couldn’t contact anyone because I didn’t have a cell phone and when I did it was too late, I was already guilty in your eyes.” The email goes on to say, “I read a flyer posted around Nanaimo that I was the last person with Amber. This is not true. I spoke to the RCMP and told them what happened that night. I understand that everyone is very uptight, but I am part of it. I lost the one person who still had my back. I would call her cell just to hear her voice and then cry until there are no tears left. I would give anything to hold her in my arms.” Those who run the Facebook group Finding Amber Manthorne are organizing independent inquiries with the guidance of the police, as many want to be actively involved. “They want to help, they want to be part of the solution. They want to bring her home,” added St. Clair. Police would like any dash cam video that may show Amber’s Jeep between last Thursday afternoon and when it was found Friday afternoon.
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