March 4th has been a very tough day for Rob Joly for eight years now.
Today marks the 8th anniversary of when his son went missing from downtown North Bay in 2011.
On this day, the heavy equipment operator in Temiscaming, Quebec, took the day off as the anniversary of the incident hits him hard every anniversary..
“That all comes back to me like it happened yesterday, I try to stay focused but it is tough,” admitted Joly, who now suffers from high blood pressure connected to the stress he has endured since his son went missing.
It is days like the anniversary, along with Christmas, Luke’s birthday and the Stanley Cup Finals that Rob Joly still struggles with.
Rob recalls taking the night off of work and grabbing some snacks the night the Stanley Cup would be handed out. Rob would spend some father-son bonding time watching the big game with Luke.
“Every year, and playoffs are starting soon, I get to watch that game and I am usually by myself and shedding a tear because I wish he was here for that moment because he loved hockey too,” said Joly.
See related: Family still looking for answers on disappearance of Luke Joly-Durocher
See related: Joly family praises outgoing chief
Back in mid-January, during Police Chief Shawn Devine’s announcement that he will be retiring from the service this summer, the chief admitted he was disappointed the case never got solved under his watch.
The North Bay Police still have two detectives actively working on it, and it is still considered a high priority cold case for the local police service.
Over the past eight years, North Bay Police Service investigators have conducted hundreds of interviews, and followed up on as many leads and tips, trying to ascertain what had happened to Luke.
Luke Joly-Durocher, who was 20 at the time of his disappearance, was last seen shortly before midnight in North Bay's downtown on March 4th, 2011.
A downtown bar captured images of him outside late that evening and his bank card was found in the downtown core about 11 days later.
At the time of the disappearance, Luke Joly-Durocher was described is five-feet-eight-inches tall, weighed about 150 pounds and had dark curly short hair. He had a slim build and wore braces on his upper teeth. He was also wearing a bright coloured purple belt which has not been recovered.
North Bay Police, with the assistance of the OPP and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, is offering a reward up to $50,000 to anyone who comes forward with information concerning the person or persons responsible for his disappearance.
Joly says talking about his missing son is part of his long healing process. He still regularly will go put up posters around the city and thanks Staples for giving him discounts on printing them.
“I have to get out there and speak to reporters, go on social media and put more posters out there and that is what fuels me,” admits Joly.
He says he cannot believe it has been eight years since he last saw his son.
“It is hard to imagine, where did eight years go?” he said.
“It is such a harsh winter we are having, but in a blink of an eye, eight years, like where did time go? It is hard to comprehend my son has been missing for eight years. I have a hard time to accept that because it feels like it was just last year.”
Rob says on this night he will do a candlelight vigil with his daughter Sara and tomorrow they will celebrate Sarah’s birthday which is on the 5th.
“We will light some candles and share some good times together that’s what family is all about,” said Joly.
And possibly some closure for the Joly-Durocher family in 2019.
"I hope this is the year we get answers," he said.
