Katharina Buczek
In 1989, Kimberly Ann McAndrew of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was 19-years-old. She was one of five siblings, and while attending Dalhousie University, she worked as a cashier at Canadian Tire– which was located on Quinpool Road.
But, on August 12, 1989, Kimberly strangely vanished after finishing a routine shift at work.
That Saturday started off normally. And by the late afternoon, the 19-year-old clocked out and left work at about 4:20 p.m. Kimberly had plans to attend the Halifax Busker Festival with her family and boyfriend that same night.
After she left Canadian Tire, though, she was never seen or heard from again.
“I think that it could have been anyone’s daughter… and that’s what makes that case so bothersome to me,” said Tom Martin, a retired police detective who worked Kimberly’s case.
According to Martin, there were no confirmed sightings of the 19-year-old after she left work.
During the early stages of the investigation, one employee from Gardenia Flower Shop located in Dartmouth did contact authorities– detailing how a young woman had visited the store early that evening. The employee recalled how the woman purchased a rose and a balloon and claimed it had been Kimberly.
This possible sighting was never confirmed, though, and Martin believes that the 19-year-old likely did not make it far from Canadian Tire after work. He also detailed how visiting the flower shop was not characteristic of the teen.
“That wasn’t Kim’s way. She was not adventurous, and for her to go to Dartmouth on her own would have been an adventure. And that’s just not what Kim would have done when she had plans that evening,” Martin said.
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