Here is an Oct 2002 story from newsdurhamregion.com on Jami's case:
http://newsdurhamregion.com/article/53228Five years later: Mother's disappearance remains a mysteryOct 18, 2002 - 12:00 AM
Stephen Shaw, Staff Writer
DURHAM - Five years after her disappearance, the fate of Jami Charlene Furnandiz crosses the mind of Detective Grant Arnold almost daily.
Despite zero leads, however, the Durham Regional Police officer remains hopeful, yet realistic, the half-decade-old mystery will eventually be solved.
"It's another year with no leads and no sightings, which leads us to believe she may not be alive. But I still hold out hope she is alive... somewhere... we just haven't found her," said Det. Arnold, his voice trailing.
Last Tuesday marked the fifth anniversary of the day the Port Perry woman vanished without a trace.
The young mother was last seen Oct. 15, 1997 in downtown Oshawa, after dropping off her two-year-old son earlier at a day care in Port Perry.
Ms. Furnandiz, 18 at the time, hitchhiked from Port Perry to Oshawa, where she spent the day visiting friends at a Colbourne Street rooming house.
She left the city about 3:30 p.m., planning to hitchhike to Port Perry.
She never made it.
Since then police have followed leads across Canada and the United States, reinterviewing 70 witnesses last year after the case was reopened.
Despite a team of investigators working on the file for five months in 2001, the creation of a tip hotline, a Child Find poster campaign and dozens of reported sightings, the fate of Ms. Furnandiz remains unknown.
Police have some theories, such as that she may have met foul play while hitchhiking, but are still without concrete evidence to form a conclusion.
Det. Arnold has a hard time believing she simply ran away, given the bond she had with her young son, Stefan, now being raised by her parents.
"The fact there was no bank account activity, no health card activity, no extra bags taken, no clothes packed and no contact with family or friends" discounts the theory her disappearance was by design, says Det. Arnold, adding the file remains open.
Child Find featured Ms. Furnandiz's photo on three million VISA envelopes in 2001, leading to reported sightings from Calgary to Quebec.
All were pursued by police; none confirmed, said Det. Arnold, the veteran officer and Durham's missing persons file co-ordinator.
Packages including dental records and fingerprints were distributed to U.S. jurisdictions to cross-check with unidentified bodies. Again, nothing.
Ms. Furnandiz is white, 5-foot-9, 164 pounds, with shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos, including a spider on one ankle, 'Stefan' on the other ankle and a red heart with an arrow through it on her left shoulder.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Arnold at (905) 579-1520, ext. 5410, or Crime Stoppers at 905-436-TIPS.
