RCMP search Melanson Mountain near Wolfville in Kenley Matheson missing person case

Several agencies, including the RCMP, combined resources this week on Melanson Mountain near Wolfville, N.S., as part of the search for Kenley Matheson who has been missing for more than 30 years.

Matheson was a 20-year-old from Cape Breton who just started going to Acadia University in Wolfville when he went missing in September of 1992.

"The search includes people with expertise in these kinds of searches, especially when we could be dealing with potential remains in a wooded area," said Cpl. Chris Marshall, Nova Scotia RCMP's public information officer.

"The area they have been searching is also a very steep embankment."

In late May, the Globe and Mail newspaper commissioned a search by the International Police Work Dog Association in which a cadaver dog indicated an "area of interest" on the mountain.

The site where police are searching is just a few kilometres from Wolfville's Main Street, which is the area where Matheson was last seen almost 31 years ago.

"The dog didn't locate any remains or anything like that, it just indicated that there was something of interest there and that's why we've been up there searching to try and identify what exactly the dog identified," said Marshall.

A documentary series titled Missing Kenley was released last year.

It outlined details around Matheson's disappearance and interviewed family members who were outspoken at times with their disappointment in how police handled the investigation. Kenley's mother, Sarah MacDonald, was along the side of the road near the search scene this week, but politely declined an interview.

People who live near the search area are hoping police find something that will give the family some closure.

"It honestly doesn't matter how long someone has been missing, the family goes through this grief every day," said Ellen Trefry. "It never goes away and they are always wondering what happened so I imagine it's terrifying for them all the time."

The search is in the same area where another missing person case came to an end in 2006 when a hunter discovered the remains of Leslie Conrad buried in a shallow grave. She lived on a nearby farm in Lower Wolfville.

"This has really got to be a rollercoaster of emotions for the Matheson family," said Melanson resident Kevin Carver. "I really feel so sorry for them and I pray there is some closure for them this week."

The Kenley Matheson case is listed on the Nova Scotia Justice Department's major unsolved crimes website. The program offers rewards of up to $150,000 for information leading to an arrest or conviction.