Disappearance of Michelle Wedge

Michelle Lise Wedge (born 1 December 1967) is a Canadian child who disappeared from her neighbourhood in Moncton, New Brunswick, on 2 July 1975, at the age of seven. She left her family home on Dominion Street to ride her bicycle during the evening. The bicycle was later found at the nearby intersection of John and Dominion streets, but Wedge was never located.

Witnesses gave differing accounts of her last movements. Several reported seeing her cycling near the intersection shortly after 9 p.m., while others recalled seeing a girl enter a small dark-green car. Police sought a man seen speaking to children in the area, but no publicly identified suspect has been charged. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) continues to classify the case as a suspicious disappearance.

Background

Wedge was born on 1 December 1967 and lived with her family on Dominion Street in Moncton. Contemporary and later accounts described her as an active child who regularly played outside and rode her bicycle in the neighbourhood.

At the time of her disappearance, Wedge was approximately tall, with a slender build, fair complexion, brown eyes and shoulder-length dark-blond or light-brown hair. Her teeth were in good condition. She was wearing a red-and-white checked T-shirt, navy-blue shorts, navy-blue knee-length socks and size-three navy-blue sandals.

Disappearance

On 2 July 1975, Wedge spent part of the day playing and riding her grey Mustang-style bicycle near her home. She was being cared for by older siblings. At approximately 8:30 p.m., she returned to the residence and left again shortly afterwards with the bicycle.

Her family realized at about 9 p.m. that she was no longer in the yard and began looking for her. Wedge's brother found her bicycle on the boulevard at the southwest corner of John and Dominion streets, only a few houses from the family home. It had a blue-and-cream-coloured banana-style seat.

Interviews conducted after the disappearance produced several reported sightings. Witnesses said that Wedge had been riding north on Dominion Street near John Street at approximately 9:10 p.m. At least one person recalled seeing a young girl enter a car at the corner. These accounts made the intersection the last known area in which she was seen, although it was not established conclusively that the child entering the vehicle was Wedge.

Investigation

The disappearance prompted an extensive search and a nationwide police appeal. Two girls told investigators that a man had tried to persuade them to enter his car earlier that evening and that they later saw Wedge with him. Contemporary reports described the man as having thick dark hair, a dark complexion, a scar on the right side of his face and an unusual voice. His vehicle was described as a small, dark-green car with a dark interior; later accounts variously identified it as resembling a Datsun or a Ford Cortina.

The witnesses assisted police in producing a composite drawing, and authorities sought a man matching their description across Canada. Investigators examined the reported sightings, but the witness accounts did not result in an arrest or establish that Wedge had been abducted. No trace of her was found during the initial investigation.

In May 2003, members of Wedge's family appeared on the television programme Canada AM and displayed an age-progression image showing how she might have looked as an adult. The broadcast generated new calls to investigators, but none publicly resolved the case.

The case later came under the responsibility of the Codiac Regional RCMP, under police file number 2010120833. In a 2019 review marking the 44th anniversary of the disappearance, investigators said that they continued to believe someone possessed information that could resolve the case. The RCMP has released photographs of Wedge, her bicycle and an age-progression image through the national Canada's Missing database.

As of the RCMP's latest publicly available case information, Wedge remained missing.

See also

• List of people who disappeared mysteriously: 1970s

External links

• Michelle Lise Wedge at Canada's Missing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police