Maine State Police Lt. Of course, there’s no way of knowing whether the letter’s truthful or the information is accurate, but we are asking for whoever wrote the letter to please contact us.” 
 
 Gardner declined to release the letter, describe what it said or explain what made police take the unusual step of contacting the newspapers to arrange for an interview with the missing man’s family. “There’s always a possibility that it’s a hoax. Obviously, if it is a hoax, that’s a horrible thing to do to somebody who’s been missing their son since 1977.” 
 
 Gardner said Ross’ parents, who lived in Fort Kent at the time of his disappearance, received the letter “a few months ago,” but would not disclose any other details about it, including whether it was handwritten or typed, how many pages it was, where it was postmarked or what the writer claimed happened to the missing man. That vehicle was later found in Ashland more than 20 miles away, and Ross was last seen on the Realty Road near the Ashland-Portage town line. It protects the integrity of the investigative process.” 
 
 Gardner arranged for an interview with Carol and Bernard Ross Sr. on Friday. “People had a hard time because there were no answers,” Ross’ mother, Carol, 78, said. “I’ve never had anything like this happen in my career,” Gardner said. Carol Ross said Friday that Bunny Ross, one of six children, was “going through some ups and downs” emotionally at the time of his disappearance, but Gardner and the man’s parents on Friday characterized his state of mind as not abnormal for someone in his teenage years. “You’d get your hopes up, but of course it would turn out to be someone else.” 
 
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– A cold case in Maine about a teen who vanished nearly 40 years ago is getting a fresh look from police after his parents received an anonymous letter out of the blue. Police are saying very little about the letter's contents, but they hope the author will reach out again and perhaps end the mystery of what happened to Bernard "Bunny" Ross, reports the Bangor Daily News. Police say Ross, then 18, vanished on May 12, 1977, after taking the family car to his aunt's house in Presque Isle, then stealing another car near her home. It was found about 20 miles away, and Ross has been a missing person since. His parents—Bernard Sr., 80, and Carol, 78—say he'd been going through "ups and downs" at the time, but nothing out of the ordinary. The unsigned letter arrived after a local newspaper story about missing persons a few months ago mentioned their son, reports the Portland Press Herald. The letter writer claimed to have information about the disappearance, but police aren't divulging details. “I’ve never had anything like this happen in my career,” says Maine State Police Lt. Troy Gardner. “Basically, all we’re doing is extending an olive branch, saying we want to make contact with this person." Gardner adds that police can't even be sure at this point that the letter isn't a hoax. The Rosses are going public in the hope that the letter writer, who suggested that another newspaper story be written, is legit. It's been the lack of resolution that's been so hard to deal with all these years, says Carol Ross. “It’s not like there was a death. It was the unknown," she says. "There was always the hope that he’d walk through the door one day.” (A diligent mom helped crack a 10-year-old cold case about her daughter's killing.)