What happened to Amber Manthorne? Boyfriend identified as suspect in her disappearance

Amber Manthorne of Port Alberni was reported missing on July 8, 2022. Police now say she is likely dead and her boyfriend, Justin Hall, was a suspect. Hall was found dead in Merritt in 2023. Photo by RCMP

More than two years after she disappeared, Port Alberni RCMP say Amber Manthorne is probably dead, and her boyfriend, who has since died, was a suspect.

Port Alberni RCMP got a report on the evening of July 8, 2022, that Manthorne was missing from her home on Central Lake Road. She hasn’t been seen since.

“Police believe that Amber’s disappearance was as a result of foul play and that she is not likely to be found alive,” said RCMP Const. Beth O’Connor in an update on the investigation Wednesday.

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Her boyfriend, Justin Hall, described as a “person of interest in her disappearance,” was found dead in Merritt in 2023. His identity and relationship with Manthorne is being released now in an effort to get answers, said O’Connor.

CCTV footage from July 2022 shows Manthorne’s vehicle, a white 2021 Jeep Compass, being driven by Hall before it was found abandoned on July 9 in Ladysmith.

Amber Manthorne of Port Alberni was reported missing on July 8, 2022. Police now say she is likely dead and her boyfriend, Justin Hall, was a suspect. Hall was found dead in Merritt in 2023. Photo by RCMP

A timeline has been established showing where Manthorne, her Jeep and Hall were during those two days:

• July 7, 2022, at 3:27 p.m.: Manthorne is seen alone buying groceries at Buy Low Foods in Port Alberni;

• July 7, 3:35 p.m.: A white SUV that appears to be Manthorne’s heads west on the Pacific Rim Highway near Tseshaht Market, around the time she returns to her Central Lake home;

• July 8, 12:22 a.m.: Hall calls United Cabs from the Petro-Canada on River Road; 22 minutes later, a cab is seen travelling west near Tseshaht Market;

• July 8, 4:17 a.m.: A white SUV consistent with Manthorne’s is seen on CCTV driving east on the Pacific Rim Highway toward Port Alberni;

• July 8, 4:50 a.m.: Manthorne’s SUV pulls up to a pump at a Husky station on 3rd Avenue in Port Alberni. Hall gets out of the driver’s seat and goes inside to pay for fuel. He tries to move a suitcase from the back seat to the hatchback but it won’t fit. A large tote that’s already in the hatch and the suitcase have never been recovered;

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• July 8, 7:02 a.m.: The SUV is seen at a McDonald’s restaurant on Johnston Road where Hall makes a purchase;

• July 8, 8 a.m.: Manthorne fails to show up at work;

• July 8, 9:22 a.m.: Hall makes a purchase at a Nanaimo Walmart;

• July 8, 10:26 a.m.: The SUV is seen on CCTV again at the B.C. Ferries Duke Point terminal. Hall, the only occupant, buys a ticket and lines up for the ferry;

• July 8, 11:03 a.m.: The SUV leaves the B.C. Ferries terminal with Hall driving;

• July 9, 3:08 p.m.: Ladysmith RCMP get a report that the SUV is abandoned at McGillivray Way and Creekwood Place.

Manthorne’s cellphone, which has a case for carrying credit cards on its outer shell, has also never been located.

“The investigation remained active from the onset, with evolving details that investigators needed to assess, manage and explore,” said O’Connor.

Anyone who has seen a bin similar to the one seen in the CCTV footage or a cellphone like Manthorne’s is asked to call local police or make an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

“We will keep searching until she’s found, but we need your help to bring Amber home to her family,” said O’Connor.

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