Owner of Big Al's says Kirwan doesn't appear on video

The search for a missing Pictou County teen has entered its third week, and New Glasgow Police say the release of surveillance video which shows her on the night she disappeared has generated some new leads.

Police released video on Friday that shows Amber Kirwan leaving Dooly's pool hall in New Glasgow around 1:30 a.m. on October 9.

In the video, Kirwan is seen outside the building. She then makes her way up Archimedes Street, crosses George Street, and disappears from view. It is believed she was heading to Big Al's, a convenience store located close to Dooly's.

Kirwan's boyfriend, Mason Campbell, says she was supposed to meet him at Big Al's but she never showed up.

CTV News spoke with storeowner Al Sutherland on Monday and he says there are three video cameras outside the store, located just a little over 200 metres from Dooly's.

He says his store closed at 11 p.m. the night Kirwan disappeared, but the cameras were still rolling. However, Kirwan doesn't appear on any of the videos from that night.

"The only thing we've seen on the camera is the boyfriend's car where he was in our parking lot," says Sutherland. "He was here for approximately one minute and forty seconds. And then he left."

"There was no sign of her at all on the camera. None whatsoever."

In the video taken from Dooly's, a white vehicle is seen on the left side of the road. It drives up and then stops just outside Dooly's. It turns out the vehicle is a police car and it stopped alongside the road just as Kirwan left the pool hall, walked up the street and disappeared from view.

"It is not an uncommon occurrence to see a police vehicle in the downtown corridor at the early hours in the morning," says Const. Ken MacDonald, a spokesman with New Glasgow Police. "As a result, officers did not notice anything suspicious or out of the ordinary in relation to the case."

But with the distance between the pool hall and Big Al's being roughly 200 metres – or, barely a two-minute walk at a steady pace – what could have happened in the short amount of time it would have taken Kirwan to reach the store?

That's what investigators have been trying to determine since Kirwan vanished.

There is a small wooded area close to Dooly's, and police say they have searched that area thoroughly. They also say releasing the surveillance video from Dooly's has helped their investigation.

"As a result, police received numerous amounts of tips from both Crime Stoppers and to the police service," says MacDonald. "And investigators will continue to investigate those tips and information."

Police are treating Kirwan's disappearance as a missing persons case and they have been searching areas throughout Pictou County since she disappeared.

Ground search and rescue teams from across the province have joined in the search, along with RCMP and K9 units.

Divers combed through the East River and the waters near Big Gut bridge in Pictou Landing, where Kirwan shares an apartment with her boyfriend. Police focused their search in that area last week.

An RCMP helicopter was seen overhead throughout Pictou County on the weekend and police began knocking on doors in the north end of New Glasgow looking for information.

There are also reports that police seized Campbell's car, although police have not confirmed that.

"All I can say is that New Glasgow Police and RCMP investigators are not releasing any information at this time," MacDonald told CTV last week.

Macdonald, however, did not deny the report that the car had been seized.

Campbell has been actively involved in the ongoing search for Kirwan, but has also admitted he's been questioned by police.

In an interview with CTV News, he acknowledged there were rumours circulating in the community that he may have had a hand in her disappearance.

"That's the last thing I want to hear going around. That doesn't help any bit of this situation," he said.

"You know, I loved her with all my heart. I was going to spend the rest of my life with her. When she is turned up, I will spend every single day of my life with her."

Thousands of posters appealing to the public for information on Kirwan's disappearance have been made and posted around the province, and a $5,000 reward is being offered for her safe return.

Several Facebook pages have also been set up, including one with more than 7,800 people.

A ‘Wall of Hope' near the pool hall where Kirwan was last seen also continues to grow, and several events have been held in Pictou County to raise awareness about her disappearance.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh