Alberta woman 'has not been found,' sheriff's office reports

Despite persistent rumors to the contrary, an Alberta woman missing since Christmas Day 2010 has not been found, dead or alive.

Tamara Mason, 49, was at a residence in Alberta on Dec. 25, 2010 and left at about 7:30 p.m., according to the Stevens County Sheriff's Office. She has not been seen or heard from since.

Stevens County Sheriff Randy Willis and Sheriff's Deputy Greg Reese both said that the office requested the aid of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate leads in the case on May 23.

"She has not been found," Reese said. "She is still a missing person."

Reese said he could not discuss the specifics of the leads.

Local law enforcement will request the help of the BCA in higher-profile cases when the sheriff's office receives leads that may require more technological resources or manpower than a sheriff's office or police department can muster on its own, Reese said.

"It's common (in high-profile cases)," Reese said of the BCA's investigation. "It doesn't happen in every case (the sheriff's office handles). It just happens to be a bigger deal in a case like this one."

Mason left the residence wearing a black leather jacket. A dark pickup truck was reportedly driving by the residence at the time that Mason left, the sheriff's office reported.

Anyone with information about Mason or her whereabouts can contact the Stevens County Sheriff's Office at (320) 208-6500 or (320) 589-2141.