Police hope phone, social media info will lead to breakthrough in Kneebone case

Charlottetown police are hoping cellphone and social media records will help pinpoint Summer Kneebone's whereabouts or at least narrow down the list of possible search locations.

The 27-year-old P.E.I. woman has been missing since Aug. 7. Video footage showed her walking on Charlottetown's University Avenue that evening, before she was detected riding as a passenger in two different vehicles.

The man driving the second vehicle was interviewed last week as a "person of interest" but not a suspect in the case. On Monday, Det.-Sgt. Darren MacDougall said police have interviewed a second person of interest, a woman well-known to the driver.

They are now seeking to verify information provided by the pair, and reviewing video footage from houses and businesses from around the time of Kneebone's disappearance.

MacDougall continues to encourage anyone with video camera footage from that time to preserve it, in case the investigation leads to a different part of the province.

Missing Persons Act now in effect

Meanwhile, police have taken advantage of P.E.I.'s new Missing Persons Act, which came into effect on Saturday, Sept. 9, to seek and obtain a warrant for Kneebone's phone records.

The two companies served with the warrant have seven days to provide the information, but MacDougall is hoping it comes sooner.

"Some of the data that we're seeking to recover should be able to give us an area, I hope. Now, that area might just be where Summer's cellphone was last," he said."Obviously you can't then confirm if she was [there too], but our goal would be to identify where Summer was last or the general area."

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MacDougall noted that the search for Kneeboneis still considered a missing personcase. However, if it becomes a criminal investigation, further warrants could be issued using the Criminal Code that are beyond what is available under the Missing Persons Act.