Police ramp up search for young Newfoundland mom last seen a week ago

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Police and relatives of a missing Newfoundland woman have taken to social media in a desperate bid to find the young mother last seen last Wednesday.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary reached out on Twitter seeking information about Cortney Lake, a 24-year-old woman from the St. John’s suburb of Mount Pearl, and say her week-old disappearance is suspicious.

Police created the hashtag #HelpFindCortney and have distributed images of her at an Esso station in St. John’s, where she made a purchase and then left last Wednesday. The force also tweeted a photo of the young woman that people could use as their profile pictures in order to expand their reach in the search for Lake, who has a six-year-old boy.

Const. Geoff Higdon said Wednesday the hashtag has been retweeted hundreds of times.

“Twitter’s been on fire with hundreds and hundreds of retweets,” he said in St. John’s. “It’s been used a fair bit. We were trending in Canada yesterday ... It’s all about getting the message out to as many people as possible.”

He said the use of social media may also yield information for the investigation as police can track conversations, but he couldn’t say if it had produced anything yet.

Many tweets expressed hope that Lake would be found safely, while also urging people to share her image.

“Hoping she comes home safe to her little boy!” one woman said on Twitter.

Higdon said her disappearance was considered suspicious because there was “a significant deviation from her routine,” and that she hasn’t been using her social media, cellphone or bank account since last week.