Family marks seven years since disappearance of Tamra Keepness

Tuesday marks seven years since five-year-old Tamra Keepness went missing in Regina.

Tamra was last seen July 5, 2004 at her home in the 1800 block of Ottawa Street around 11 p.m. She was reported missing the next morning.

“I just hope one day, someone will find her,” Tamra’s older sister Summer Favel said.

Over 1,600 tips have come in, but the investigation into her disappearance has not located Tamra or produced any explanation on how or why she disappeared.

Regina police say the case is still an open investigation.

“Obviously we hope that we can find her safe and secure, and return her to her family, but we don’t know,” Police Chief Troy Hagen said.

On Tuesday, family and friends came together to remind the public Tamra is still missing. They know someone out there knows the truth.

“Somebody’s got to know where she is… Somebody has to know,” Tamra’s grandmother Ellen Keewatin said. “A child doesn’t just up and disappear like that.”

Recently the $25,000 reward for information into her disappearance was extended by Regina Police.

To hopefully generate more information, the Missing Children’s Society of Canada also announced an additional reward of $10,000.

“What we want to do is we want to try and encourage people to come forward,” Wendy Christensen from the Society said from Calgary. “And there’s a lot of emotion that surfaces around that anniversary date.”

The money, however, is only available until August 5.

“It gives people a window, and we find it becomes more effective if people know that they only have a certain amount of time to act upon something,” Christiensen said.

So far it appears to be working. Two tips came in shortly after the additional funding was announced.

Tamra’s family hopes for the clue that will provide them some answers.

“I just hope that maybe she’ll see my face somewhere, and maybe she’ll try and contact us,” her sister Summer said. “Or someone will know something and come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 777-6500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).