Another witness has confirmed a sighting of Brandon Crisp on the day he disappeared, Oct. 13.

The woman spoke to a Barrie Police officer about it before last weekend, but no one took a formal statement. Barrie Police has only recently sat down with the woman, and blame a communication mix-up for the delay.

Det. Sgt. Norm Meech with the major crime unit said the witness had told one officer about the sighting. An investigator then went to speak to her, but she told him she’d already given her statement, so he didn’t pursue the tip.

“Quite honestly, the witness had made an interpretation of a statement,” Meech said. “As soon as she spoke to police, she assumed it was a statement. But it wasn’t.”

This weekend, she sat down with officers to give a formal statement and pointed out exactly where she saw Crisp – near Line 3 along the Oro Rail Trail, the investigator noted.

Aside from that information, police investigators say they still lack any strong leads in the case of the missing teen. Crisp left his Hickling Trail home around 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Monday after being grounded from using his Xbox. He was heading towards the Shanty Bay area on his yellow Huffy mountain bike, with a yellow backpack.

This weekend, police did another thorough ground search of Line 4, and stopped hundreds of people on Line 3 near Ridge Road to ask motorists and pedestrians for tips.

Sgt. Dave Goodbrand said investigators are now checking to see if any information provided is relevant to the case.

Other news in the case is that Brandon’s burgundy American Eagle hoodie, which his parents thought he had taken with him, was returned to the family on Friday.

“Basically, the principal (of St. Joe’s) had been in Brandon’s locker, and moved it. It sat somewhere and he forgot about it,” said Meech.

That means Crisp was wearing a dark blue Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers with a camouflage stripe the day he disappeared. He brought along a yellow and grey backpack with a yellow and grey jacket.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for Brandon’s return, with $10,000 each from Metroland and Rogers, $5,000 from Child Save, and $25,000 from Microsoft.

Police are still looking into Crisp’s contacts in his Xbox, most of whom are registered as living in the United States.

While there have been a few reported sightings of Crisp, none has turned out to be real.

“I’m hopeful when someone says there’s a sighting because it might be Brandon. But it’s hard being on an emotional roller-coaster constantly,” said Angelika.

She said she just wants her son to come home, and for life to return to normal.

To report any information on Crisp’s whereabouts, call 725-7025, ext. 2160, or e-mail bcrisptips@police.barrie.on.ca. Police has also posted a video on YouTube to ask for the public’s help in the case.

 jramsay@simcoe.com