The older brother of an Eastern Passage, N.S., woman who went missing nearly 22 years ago is relieved after police discovered what are believed to be her remains.
“It’s great news from a closure standpoint, you wonder for almost 22 years,” said Troy McLean, whose sister, Arlene, was reported missing in 1999.
Arlene McLean, then 28, left her home the evening of September 8, leaving the impression with her common-law spouse that she wouldn’t be gone long.
However, she has not been seen since and her vehicle — a 1993 four door green Hyundai Elantra — was never recovered.
She took only her purse and the clothes she was wearing, and left behind her common-law spouse and eight-year-old son. Her case was added to Nova Scotia’s Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes program.
Police have said the circumstances of her disappearance are suspicious and foul play may be involved.
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In a release Wednesday, the RCMP said the integrated RCMP/HRP special investigation section of the criminal investigation division has recovered human remains during the search for McLean.
It said police are working with the medical examiner’s office to conclusively identify the remains.
In an interview, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Lisa Croteau said she could not provide more information about when and where the remains were found, citing the ongoing investigation, though she did confirm they were found “recently.”
‘Very outgoing, very friendly’
According to Troy McLean, his younger sister moved from their home in Labrador to Nova Scotia when she was about 20 years old.
He remembers her as being well-liked by everyone she met.
“She was very outgoing, very friendly, lots of friends,” he said.
“She lived a very normal lifestyle” with her common-law husband and her son, who celebrated his eighth birthday just three days before she disappeared.
In the nearly 22 years following her disappearance, Troy has been wondering what happened to his sister. He thought of her every time he saw a missing person’s poster or heard about human remains being discovered.
“It always mentally triggered the, ‘What if?’ scenarios,” he said.
While it’s still too early to say, Troy said he wants to hold a gathering in Arlene’s memory when they are able to.
“We will definitely have something for extended friends and family,” he said.
“She had a lot of friends, whether they were lifelong friends or she met while living in Dartmouth. We’ll definitely have something for her, for sure.”
Troy said he was saddened that his parents, who have both since died from cancer, never found out what happened to their daughter.
“What a torture that must be for a parent,” he said. “That always strikes me as a little bit cruel, that both parents went to the grave not knowing this.
“Maybe in the spiritual world, they’re all back together now, and we’re the last to know.”
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