By Vincent Ball, The Brantford Expositor
Brantford police have released photographs of four men they want to identify and interview in hopes of solving the disappearance of Mary Hammond 37 years ago.
The photographs, which have never been shared publicly, were released by police today in advance of the 37th anniversary of Hammond’s disappearance. Hammond vanished while walking to her job at the former Buns Master Bakery on Morton Avenue from her Elgin Street townhouse at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, 1983.
Her whereabouts is still unknown.
But police have never stopped investigating and in a statement released Monday said they have identified evidence in the case. The evidence has helped investigators over the years to identify people who may have been involved.
However, not all persons believed to have information or knowledge related to the Hammond investigation have been identified, police said in the statement.
Photos released Monday show four unidentified men believed to have had ties to the Hungarian/Ukrainian/Bosnian and Polish communities in and around the time of Hammond’s disappearance.
“It is hoped that with the advancements in technology and forensic sciences, the continued dedication of our officers, and information from our community, we will be able to determine what happened to Mary Hammond and bring closure to her family,” Brantford police said in their statement.
Anyone with information regarding Hammond’s disappearance is asked to contact the Mary HAMMOND tip line to leave a voice mail message for investigators at 519-756-0113 ext. 2800, or by email at [email protected] .
Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous are asked to contact Brant- Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519- 750-8477 or 1-800-222-8477. Alternatively, a web tip may be submitted
here
. Information about the disappearance of Mary Hammond can also be found on the police website’s Cold Case Files at
www.brantfordpolice.ca
.
Hammond, whose maiden name was Biesenthal, was scheduled to work the morning shift at the former Buns Master Bakery where she had worked for about one year. She walked north on Park Road North, now Wayne Gretzky Parkway, and passed the Massey-Ferguson factory and cut across the field towards the rear of the bakery. At about 4 a.m. a co-worker called Hammond’s husband asking why she had not arrived at work.
Hammond’s footprints were followed to the property line at the rear of the bakery and to a point where she cut across a field. The footprints then disappeared.
Police were notified and evidence at the scene included some items from her lunch: a cup, a dish and a half-eaten apple. One of Hammond’s white sockettes and a small quantity of blood were located in an area of the field.
At the time of her disappearance, Hammond was 25, 5’10” with long straight reddish-brown hair, brown eyes and a fair complexion. She was last seen wearing a blue, mauve and red lumber jacket, blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt and white Adidas running shoes with a silver stripe.
The Brantford police investigation is ongoing.
[email protected]
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