MEXICO, Maine — More than 36 years after she first went missing, the town of Mexico, Maine, is still looking for answers, and actively searching for Kimberly Moreau.
Moreau was 17 when she was reported missing in 1986, and officials with the Maine State Police said it has remained an active investigation ever since. More activity continued this week, as MSP Major Crimes detectives followed up on a tip in Mexico.
"We continue to work on it, we continue to get tips from people," Kimberly's father, Richard Moreau, said Thursday. "What we need is one person to come out and tell us point blank, she’s here."
On Wednesday, detectives searched the bank of the Androscoggin River behind Jimmies, a popular ice cream stand just off of Route 2, according to a spokesperson with Maine State Police.
"I wouldn’t rule out any location, that’s for sure," Jimmies co-owner Chelsea McLain said as she pointed to where investigators were searching.
McLain said police were focused on the two rusted Volkswagon Bugs that have been on the riverbank for decades.
"We’ve looked inside of them, and the one that they’re interested by the bridge is filled with tar, so that’s all you really see when you look inside of it," McLain said.
McLain believes the tip to police came from a person who worked as a flagger on the construction of the bridge between Peru and Mexico in 2018. The bridge is dedicated to Chelsea's husband, Pfc. Buddy W. McLain of Mexico, who died while serving in Afghanistan.
McLain said the area along the riverbank had been used a dumping ground for decades. In recent years, she and her father have worked to remove debris near Jimmies. McLain said she remembers seeing missing posters of Moreau on telephone poles her entire life.
"Ultimately I hope that this would give the family some closure and resolution for this, to see justice in their lifetime," McLain said. "If nothing else, I hope this brings exposure back to the case."
McLain said detectives told her they would return to the area to continue investigating before the snow falls this year.
Richard Moreau, while unsure if this most recent tip will help locate her, has not given up hope that one day he will have an answer as to what happened to his daughter.
"It’s still my daughter and I’m still looking and I can’t give up on her," he said.
"With all the expertise that we have today and everything that's out, all it's going to take is the right tip that's going to lead us to bringing this all to finality," Moreau continued.
A spokesperson for the Maine State Police said this has never been considered a "cold case" and detectives have actively worked to solve what happened since Moreau's disappearance in 1986.