RCMP hope new billboards will help solve Amber Tuccaro cold case

EDMONTON – RCMP and Project KARE hope two new billboards will bring them closer to solving the murder case of Fort McMurray’s Amber Tuccaro, who was reported missing on August 18th, 2010 after failing to return to a Nisku motel.

That evening, the 20-year-old left the motel she was staying at with her 14-month-old son and a female friend, to find a ride into Edmonton. She ended up getting into a vehicle with an unknown man, and it’s believed he drove southeast into Leduc County instead. That’s where her body was found in September 2012.

The man’s voice can be heard in a recording taken from a cellphone conversation Tuccaro had while in the vehicle.

The recording was originally released last August, but with no major developments in the case since then, RCMP are hoping their billboards – put up at two locations in Leduc County, including the intersection of Highway 814 and Airport Road near Nisku – will bring them the break they’re looking for.

“Thousands of motorists and commuters drive by these areas every day, and we want to get all to listen to the voice of the man who we believe was last with Amber prior to her disappearance,” said RCMP spokesperson, Sgt. Josée Valiquette.

You can hear both sides of the conversation here  (warning: it contains strong language and may be disturbing to some, as Tuccaro expresses concern about her whereabouts.)

As the billboard was unveiled Tuesday, Tuccaro’s mother, Vivian, led a healing ceremony in honour of her daughter.

“We need to find who did this to my daughter,” she said, and then recalled how her little girl used to sing.

“She was, like, ‘one of these days, mom, I’m going to be on billboards and all over – and to see this,” she trailed off, before breaking down and crying. “I miss her so much…that was my baby.”

“Amber could be anybody’s daughter. She’s more than just a billboard, she’s more than just a case file,” said April Eve Wiberg, with the Stolen Sisters Awareness Movement.

“She’s somebody’s sister and somebody’s mother…let’s identify the voice of the male and send a very strong message to whoever’s responsible for why Amber’s not with us here today: that Amber will not be forgotten. We want justice for Amber and we will not stop until there is justice for Amber.”

The two billboards will be moved to different locations in a few weeks, to ensure as many people see them as possible.

“There’s a huge number of people who commute out to Nisku each day,” explained Corporal Jay Zanko with KARE, a unit which investigates the deaths of murdered or missing high risk persons in Alberta.

If you think you recognize the man’s voice in the recording, you’re asked to contact the RCMP at: 1-877-412-KARE (5273) or KDIV-KARE.ALBERTA_PO@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Follow @TrishKozicka

With files from Laurel Gregory, Global News