Jennifer Hillier-Penney went lacking out on 8 years again. Her bro, Gary Hillier, claims personal investigators are nonetheless functioning relentlessly to find her stays. (Submitted by Gary Hillier)
A mourning neighborhood famous the believed homicide of oneSt Anthony, N.L., girl a bit otherwise this yr, switching on their veranda lights as a substitute of the everyday custom-made: holding a vigil in her title.
For the family of Jennifer Hillier-Penney, it was required reprieve amidst a continuing authorities examination and steady court docket course of for her claimed superior.
“With so much happening in the trial, in the search, we figured this year we would just take a little break from what we’ve been doing for the last seven years,” said Gary Hillier, the girl’s bro.
Hillier-Penney went away with no hint 8 years again, onNov 30, 2016.
For a number of that point, the family feared her occasion would definitely broaden chilly. But in 2015, the RCMP launched they would definitely collected sufficient proof for a first-degree homicide charge versus Hillier-Penney’s separated different half, Dean Penney.
That was the minute, for Hillier, the darkish clouds began to part.
“Last year’s ceremony I went to, I said, ‘I can’t do this. No more … these ceremonies are too hard,’” Hillier said. “We were kind of in despair, but just two weeks later it was his arrest. So everything started to change from that point on.”
Gary Hillier with a memorial picture of his siblingJennifer (Submitted by Gary Hillier)
Penney is preserving his advantage, and went into an harmless attraction in Corner Brook Supreme Court not too long ago. But the opportunity of an approaching take a look at hasn’t silenced Hillier’s want for responses.
The family was “elated” once they turned conscious of Penney’s apprehension, Hillier said.
“We felt like the case wasn’t moving along at all, but after … the arrest, we started getting bits and pieces of information on how they did work in the last eight years,” he said.
“We were really pleased with the efforts [the major crimes unit] put into this case.”
Search for stays steady
The RCMP hasn’t give up its undersea search for Hillier-Penney’s stays. It’s zeroed in on a spot of sea nearSt Anthony.
In a declaration, the stress verified its undersea therapeutic group was presently brushing the ocean flooring close to Hare Island along with the Canadian Armed Forces, and would definitely proceed to be within the location up till the search was complete.
Hillier said the search obtained as soon as once more not too long ago, and has truly been knowledgeable scuba divers are looking for proof virtually 200 ft down.
“These guys are made with a different fabric. They’re putting their lives at risk crawling on the bottom of the ocean, just feeling around for my sister,” Hillier said. “They’re using technologies that can pick up things that wasn’t originally on the bottom, so we’re hoping one of those could be Jennifer.”
Finding her stays, he said, goes to the vanguard of the family’s minds.
“Bringing her home now is the main thing. That’s what we need,” Hillier said.
“We’re confident that they’re going to find her and bring her back to us, to give us a bit of closure. We need to put her where she needs to be.”
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