'We are all very scared': Search for missing Port Alberni woman enters second week

Amber Manthorne is described as a white woman with a slim build who stands roughly five feet tall with blonde hair. (Facebook/Amber Dawn Grace)

Seven days after a 40-year-old woman from Port Alberni, B.C., was last seen, friends continue to plead for information on her whereabouts.

Amber Manthorne's vehicle, a white 2021 Jeep Compass, was found abandoned Sunday south of Nanaimo, B.C.

On Tuesday, the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) announced it was joining the investigation into the disappearance of the woman who was last seen on July 7.

"We are all very scared," friend Kristie St. Claire told CTV News. "This is absolutely not like her."

Manthorne was scheduled to be the maid of honour at a friend's wedding later this month. Now the wedding has been cancelled, St. Claire said.

"The close network of friends that were attached to that wedding are just devastated about what's happening," she added. "It's affecting people in a large scale at this time, and deeply."

Missing woman Amber Manthorne with her vehicle that was discovered abandoned near Nanaimo. (Port Alberni RCMP)

Mounties said Tuesday that officers continued to search the Nanaimo area where Manthorne's vehicle was found.

Volunteer searchers are also scouring the Nanaimo and Port Alberni regions.

"We've got volunteers with drones, we've got divers on the line," St Claire said. "We're her army now and we're not stopping and we're not giving up no matter how long it takes."

Foul play has not been ruled out in the disappearance.

"We understand that it may be concerning to hear that the VIIMCU has been called to assist. However, we want to assure the community that this is not unusual in cases where a person’s disappearance is out of character and criminality cannot be immediately ruled out," said Insp. Kevin O’Donnell, the officer in charge of the unit.

"If criminality is ruled out, the Port Alberni RCMP will again become the primary investigating agency," he added.

Over the weekend, police said that Manthorne may be travelling with a man. On Tuesday, Mounties said they had located the man and confirmed that she is not with him.

Manthorne is described as a white woman with a slim build who stands roughly five feet tall with blonde hair.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call the Port Alberni RCMP at 250-723-2424.