Amber Kirwan’s body was found Nov. 5, 2011 – four weeks after she was last seen outside a New Glasgow pool hall. This is a timeline events leading up the most recent updates.
Sunday, Oct. 9.
After a night out with friends, Amber Kirwan leaves Dooly’s pool hall on Archimedes St., in New Glasgow, N.S., at 1:30 a.m. She contacts her boyfriend, Mason Campbell, to meet him at Big Al’s convenience store a short distance away. Campbell says he arrived at the store at 1:40 a.m., but Amber never showed.
Campbell contacted friends to find out if anyone had seen Amber, but no one had.
Amber’s family contacted New Glasgow Police at about 5:00 p.m. to report her missing. A Facebook group was started that same evening to make her disappearance known and ask for any information on her whereabouts.
Monday, Oct. 10
Police alerted the media early in the day about a search for the missing 19-year-old. While Search and Rescue crews conducted ground, air and water searches in the area, Amber’s friends began putting up “MISSING” posters and organized their own search parties. Ultimately, about 70,000 posters would be put up in Pictou County and around the province.
New Glasgow Police Const. Ken MacDonald tells Global News Amber’s disappearance is “completely out of character” and authorities make an appeal to the public for information.
Tuesday, Oct. 11
The search widens with police going door to door and searching bus shelters and neighbourhoods around New Glasgow’s downtown. In the afternoon, authorities turn their focus to vacant buildings in the nearby town of Trenton. A search of the building is conducted with the assistance of the K-9 unit.
Members of the a Facebook group urge the public to “Leave a light on for Amber.”
Mason Campbell speaks to Global News about his girlfriend’s disappearance. He says Amber didn’t have her purse or any other personal items on her. She didn’t like to be alone and she wouldn’t get in a car with someone she didn’t know, he says.
Wednesday, Oct. 12
Search teams continue to scour nearby fields and wooded areas, while boats go back in the water to search the river. Const. Ken MacDonald says five search and rescue teams were brought in from around the province to join in the efforts. Some articles of clothing were recovered and sent for forensic testing to determine if they were Amber’s. MacDonald says it continues to be a missing person case until evidence to the contrary is found.
Thursday, Oct. 13
New Glasgow Police and RCMP confirm the Major Crime Unit was called in to assist in the investigation.
Amber’s friends and supporters begin collecting donations and handing out green ribbons to help the Kirwan family.
Friday, Oct. 14
Police conduct no further searches for Amber, but friends announce they will offer a $5,000 reward for any information that could bring her home safe and sound.
Saturday, Oct. 15
Residents of New Glasgow gather together to create a “symbol of hope” for her safe return, forming a human ribbon, like the green ones handed out during the week, and releasing green balloons into the sky. Friends and family hold a candlelight walk beginning at midnight, running until 2 a.m. Sunday, marking seven days from when Amber was last seen.
Sunday, Oct. 16
Ground search and rescue teams search a wooded area off Heathbell Road, near where Amber’s body would later be found, in the community of Lyon’s Brook. The area is about 30 minutes east of New Glasgow.
Friday, Oct. 21
New Glasgow Police release the last known images of Amber Kirwan – a surveillance video captured after she exited Dooly’s and left her friends.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Edward Phalen, 44, is shot and killed outside his home in Trenton, N.S. Police later rule out any connection to the disappearance of Amber Kirwan. Residents in neighbouring towns, including New Glasgow, are on edge following the two incidents.
Tuesday, Nov. 1
Amber’s parents, Marjorie and Donald Kirwan, make their first public statement. In a brief press conference at New Glasgow Police headquarters, Marjorie says “the only way to describe Amber is sweet and innocent. She’s not only beautiful on the inside, but beautiful on the outside.”
Saturday, Nov. 5
RCMP and New Glasgow Police confirm remains are found on a wooded farm property in Heathbell, N.S. The remains were found while police executed a search warrant in relation to Amber’s disappearance. The Medical Examiner’s office was called in to identify the remains, while Forensic Specialists assisted in the removal of the body.
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Sunday, Nov. 6
Police confirm what everybody feared: the remains found in Heathbell belong to Amber. The Kirwan family releases a brief message saying, “Her time with us was so special. To have it taken away so needlessly is something we will never get over. She was our special girl and we would do anything to bring her back.”
Investigators continue to scour the area for clues.
The case is now deemed a homicide.
Monday, Nov. 7
An autopsy on Amber’s body is scheduled in Halifax.
RCMP say the search at the Heathbell property was conducted as a result of public information, but the warrant did not stem from one single tip. The family issues a statement thanking police, searchers and supporters. They ask the media for privacy as they cope with the tragedy.
Friends and supporters express their condolences for Amber on social media sites, while a makeshift memorial grows along a concrete wall across from where Amber was last seen, October 9.
Wednesday, Nov. 9
The search continues at the mobile home and property in Heathbell. Police set up a checkpoint to ask motorists for information and look in vehicles. Several forensics officials are on the scene throughout the day.
Police say the car seized earlier is still being examined.
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Reports of an arrest being made in the case begin to circulate, but Mounties later say these were false. (5:30 p.m.)
Thursday, Nov. 10
The mobile home on Hardwood Road in Heathbell remains under police control, but authorities won’t confirm if the home is connected to the arrest of a man in New Glasgow the day before. Police say the man was arrested on parole violations, but have not specified the conditions that led to his arrest. They have not linked the arrest of the man, from Heathbell, to the investigation into Amber’s death.
Late in the afternoon, New Glasgow police transfer custody of the man to the Sheriff, to transport him to the Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.
Many reports say the man is Christopher Alexander Falconer, who was recently given full parole after serving 12 years in prison for the second-degree murder of cab driver Robert Leblanc. It is also believe the mobile home in Heathbell belongs to someone connected to Falconer. Police have not confirmed this either.
Details of a memorial service for Amber begin to surface. A funeral will be held for her Saturday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in Stellarton, N.S. Visitations will be held Friday afternoon and evening in New Glasgow.
Friday, Nov. 11
As family and friends head to P & K MacDonald Funeral home in New Glasgow for visitations, police reveal they have seized a second car in in connection with the Amber Kirwan homicide investigation. Officers seized a blue 2008 Hyundai Elantra on Highway 6 in Caribou, while executing a search warrant. Police have not said who the car belongs to or its connection to the investigation. Investigators are examining the car for evidence.
Saturday, Nov. 12
The funeral for Amber happened at 11:00 a.m. in Stellarton, Amber’s hometown.
Hundreds of mourners bid a tearful goodbye. Kirwan’s parents, Donnie and Marjorie, accompanied her brother, Liam, and boyfriend, Mason Campbell, into Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church, where 400 people came to pay their respects. Marjorie Kirwan carried her daughters ashes in an urn out of the church after the service finished.
Mourners Susan Breen told Global News about the service, saying there “wasn’t a dry eye in the place.” “It was a beautiful service,” Breen said. “One of her relatives stood up and spoke about how much fun they had with Amber when she was growing up and how beautiful she was.”
Police do not release any new information about the investigation other than to say both of the cars seized earlier in the week continue to be examined for evidence and the search at the house, in Heathbell, is ongoing.
Sunday, Nov. 13
the RCMP say the search of the residence on Hardwood Hill Road was completed around 7 p.m. Sunday, but no details have been made public about what was found in the mobile home or on the property. The two vehicles continue to be processed for evidence.
Tuesday, Nov. 29
New Glasgow Police and RCMP released a series of images and videos captured by a security camera at Big Al’s convenience store a short time after Amber was seen leaving Dooly’s pool hall. Investigators have asked for the public’s assistance in identifying the individuals seen in the images.
RCMP have posted several images on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia Facebook page.
Thursday May, 17
Police in Nova Scotia have charged 29-year-old Christopher Alexander Falconer of Heathbell, N.S. with kidnapping and first-degree murder in the death of Kirwan. The RCMP and New Glasgow police announced that, Falconer was arrested Wednesday morning at the Dorchester Institution in New Brunswick.
Thursday, July 26
A community group in New Glasgow unveils plans for a memorial honouring Amber Kirwan. The monument will be constructed of wrought-iron, granite and brick. Organizer Mariea Leil-Bowers said the monument was also a way to pay tribute to the community that showed so much support in trying to find Kirwan. It will be placed at on the Sampson Trail. The New Glasgow News reports Kirwan’s parents helped choose the location.
Friday, July 27
Chris Falconer appeared in Pictou provincial court, but won’t enter a plea until after a preliminary hearing next year. His defence lawyer says he expects Falconer to plead not guilty the kidnapping and first-degree murder of Amber Kirwan. The 29-year-old suspect will remain in New Brunswick’s Dorchester Penitentiary, where he is serving out the remainder of a life sentence for the second-degree murder of cab driver Robert Leblanc.
*Last updated Saturday, July 28
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