More than 21 years have passed since 13-year-old Mélina Martin disappeared from Farnham, Quebec

More than 21 years have passed since 13-year-old Mélina Martin disappeared from Farnham, Quebec.

Her family is still waiting for answers.

On the afternoon of January 23, 2005, Mélina's mother dropped her off near Roch-Bourbonnais Park in Farnham.

A winter festival was taking place in the area that day.

Mélina had plans to enjoy the festival and was supposed to meet her mother later that afternoon at a nearby Valentine restaurant.

But when the agreed time came, Mélina did not arrive.

Her mother waited for her.

After some time, she had to leave briefly to pick up Mélina's brother.

When she returned, there was confusion about whether Mélina had actually been inside the restaurant.

A restaurant employee initially believed that she may have seen Mélina there.

Later, however, the employee could no longer say with certainty whether the sighting had happened on that particular day.

That uncertainty became one of many unanswered questions surrounding Mélina's disappearance.

From the beginning, her family strongly believed Mélina had not simply decided to leave home.

They said she had been excited about attending the winter festival.

Before going, Mélina had even tried to arrange for a friend and her sister's children to join her.

Those plans did not work out.

But Mélina still wanted to attend the festival.

That is one reason her family found it difficult to believe that she would suddenly disappear by choice.

Early in the investigation, police considered the possibility that Mélina may have left voluntarily.

Her family disagreed with that theory.

They knew her personality and believed she would not simply walk away without contacting anyone.

But despite searches and investigations, Mélina was never found.

There has been no confirmed answer explaining what happened after her mother dropped her off that January afternoon.

Over the years, authorities have continued looking at the case.

Different searches have been conducted.

Investigators have returned to possible locations connected to Mélina's disappearance.

The Yamaska River was also searched during efforts to find evidence that could explain where she went.

But none of those searches provided the answers her family desperately wanted.

No discovery has explained what happened to Mélina.

Today, she would be 34 years old.

When she disappeared, Mélina was approximately 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 4 inches tall.

She weighed around 115 pounds.

She had blue-green eyes and reddish to light-brown hair.

Mélina also had several piercings.

Her ears were pierced, along with her navel and lower lip.

These details may seem small after so many years, but in a missing-person case, even one remembered detail can matter.

Someone may have seen Mélina that day.

Someone may remember a conversation, a vehicle, a person, or something unusual near the winter festival.

Information that seemed unimportant in 2005 could mean something very different today.

More than two decades have passed since Mélina's family last knew where she was.

She was only 13 when she disappeared.

She should now be an adult living her life.

Instead, her family is still left wondering what happened after she was dropped off near that park.

For them, the passage of time has not made the questions disappear.

A missing child does not become less important because years have passed.

Mélina Martin is still missing.

Her family still deserves answers.

Anyone with information about Mélina Martin's disappearance, even information from many years ago, is asked to contact the Sûreté du Québec at 1-800-659-4264 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Please continue sharing Mélina's story.

One person may still remember something that could finally help explain what happened to her on January 23, 2005.

And after more than 21 years, even one new piece of information could make a difference to a family that has waited far too long for answers.