On July 30, 1985, a child in a suburb of Toronto left her family's apartment to meet a friend and go to the pool. It wasn't unusual. But eight-year-old Nicole Morin disappeared that day.  The mystery has never been solved, though there have been leads over the years. Melissa Elaschuk was Nicole's good friend - they were about the same age, and lived in the same apartment building. They spent their days together playing. Today, she is Detective Constable Elaschuk, with the Toronto police.  "We were just kids, and we had lots of fun," Const. Elaschuk tells As It Happens guest host Laura Lynch about their summer days together. "The only cares we had at that point were 'are we gonna go swimming, or are we gonna hangout in front of the building?' "  Elaschuk was away on a family vacation when her friend disappeared. When she returned from Portugal, her mother broke the news. "It was very difficult for the entire family and those of us that are close to her."  "As a seven-year-old, I don't think I could completely grasp what had happened. I just kept hoping I would see Nicole again," recalls Elaschuk.  The case of Nicole Morin shocked not only the neighbourhood, but the whole city, who were glued to the story of the search for the missing girl. To many, it represented a loss of innocence.  "It changed our way of life. The trust we once had, and perhaps the complacency that had built up from being in a great neighbourhood and a great building - that all vanished with her disappearance," says Elaschuk.  Police are seen participating in a search in Springwater Township on Oct. 9, 2014, which relates to the still-unsolved 1985 disappearance of eight-year-old Nicole Morin. (Sue Sgambati/CBC)  Today, 30 years later, Elaschuck works as a detective for the Toronto Police Service. She says the police investigation remains open. While she has nothing to do with Nicole Morin's case, the tragedy has followed her.  "It does have an effect on how I deal with the families," she says. "I often have to talk to families that have lost a loved one. It's a really difficult thing for any family to deal with, whether the person is missing or deceased. Having had this experience myself, I have a bit of a different perspective."  Elaschuck is confident Nicole was abducted. Still, she says there are many unanswered questions.  "All the speculation in the world doesn't bring closure. I try not to imagine what could have happened. I just hold out hope that one day we will know."  Click below to hear a clip from a documentary by Heather Pullen, which aired on the CBC's Sunday Morning on Aug. 4, 1985, five days after Nicole's disappearance.
Three decades ago today, a little girl disappeared in Toronto. Her childhood friend - who is now a police officer - reflects on the lasting impact of the tragedy.