PORT COLBORNE - Investigation into the disappearance of a 56-year-old Welland woman missing since early December shifted to the icy waters of the Welland Canal Thursday.
Niagara Regional Police combined its winter underwater search and recovery and marine units training with a search for Cathy Pietz, not seen since Dec. 6.
But unlike a training exercise conducted at the Lincoln St. docks on the Welland Recreational Canal in Welland just prior to Christmas, Thursday’s site was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
At the scene Thursday, Const. Richard Gadreau wouldn’t say what led police to to southernmost point of West St. except that “we’re always committed to ensure we follow up on everything.”
Family has been kept apprised of developments in the police investigation as they arise and were notified of Thursday’s dive, Const. Derek Watson said by phone.
Pietz was last seen at her family home in Welland at about 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 and prior to her disappearance she had been speaking to a friend in Hamilton.
Police are not treating the disappearance as suspicious.
Pietz is described as 5-foot-5, 240 lbs., with long, straight blonde hair, blue eyes and a three-inch vertical scar below the outside corner of her right eye. She was last seen wearing black slacks with a white stripe and a blue sweater.
She was believed to be driving a red four-door 2001 Pontiac GT1 with Ontario licence plate AWYV176.
Sgt. Bill Wiley, who heads the marine unit, said a hole was cut in the canal ice Wednesday evening on the assumption divers would be entering the water just past 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
However, an icebreaker originally scheduled to bring a ship into port for wintering Wednesday night was delayed and the dive exercise as a result, too, was delayed by safety concerns with shifting ice.
Ice at the scene was about 10 centimetres thick Thursday.
Police are asking anyone with information about the disappearance of Pietz to call 905-735-7811 ext. 3306.
Where are you Cathy? So devastating for her loved ones.
