Each year there are stories that continue to grip us long after they've made the headlines. For every story with an ending, there are several more that are unresolved, leaving those directly affected, as well as readers, without closure.

Here are the major unresolved stories of 2007 -- some involving missing loved ones, others involving justice waiting to be served -- that many hope will find an ending in the New Year.

Without a trace

Jacqueline Nicole Vienneau - The 33-year-old Vancouver woman went missing while vacationing in Syria this past Spring. Her brother Matthew has been leading the search, travelling frequently to the region with family and friends to dig up clues. Though they've retraced her steps, all leads have come to a dead end. Nicole, as her family calls her, was an experienced world traveller but it was still a family agreement that she contact them through emails every couple of weeks. March 29 was last time her family or boyfriend heard from her.

• Related story - Two Syrians arrested over emails in Vienneau case

Madeleine McCann - "Maddie" disappeared on May 3 after her parents left their three children asleep in their rented villa in Portugal while they ate dinner with friends, about 100 metres away.

Despite intense public awareness and an exhaustive search, there has been no sign of the missing British girl. Her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have been named suspects in the case -- but they have vigorously denied any involvement in their daughter's disappearance.

Portuguese investigators alleged finding traces of Madeleine's DNA in a rental car her parents used after she disappeared. But the country's national police chief said tests weren't conclusive and that further investigation is needed.

Police named one other suspect, a British national named Robert Murat, who was living near the hotel the McCanns were staying in at the time Maddie vanished. He, too, has denied any involvement.

• Related story: Senior detective to lead McCann case

Cedrika Provencher - The 10-year-old girl from Trois Rivieres, Que. was last seen by neighbours looking for a lost dog on July 31. Since the girl's family doesn't own a dog, police believe she was approached by an unknown man, asking her for help. During their investigation, several children came forward and said a man had approached them as well, asking for help looking for a lost puppy.

There have been several reported sightings of Cedrika, but none of them have provided provincial police with a solid lead. There is a $100,000 reward being offered for information leading to the missing child.

Police have described a suspect in the case as being a French-speaking man between the ages of 30 and 40 with light brown hair and a medium build. He was seen driving a four-door red Acura car built between 2002 and 2004. Police say it has a beige interior and the car has chrome door handles.

Related story: Que. police release description in Cedrika case

Christina Calayca - Her family has been searching for her since she disappeared after a camping trip in Northern Ontario on Aug. 6 with her cousin and two male friends from their church group. The 20-year-old went for a jog in the thick bush of Rainbow Provincial Park, about two hours east of Thunder Bay, Ont. She was never seen again despite an exhaustive search.

The Ontario Provincial Police say they don't suspect foul play and have offered $50,000 for information leading to Calayca's whereabouts. Her family has started fundraising to lead their own search in the spring.

• Related story: Family to hold vigil where T.O. jogger disappeared

Searching for answers

Steve Fossett - The famous millionaire adventurer, known for being the first person to ever circle the globe along in a balloon, has not been seen since he took off on a single-engine plane on Sept. 3.

Search planes immediately took to the rugged terrain to look for signs of him when he didn't return to the airstrip a few hours later as scheduled. But their efforts proved fruitless.

Complicating matters was the fact he took off on the plane for a short pleasure ride and never bothered filing a flight plan.

At first, family and friends held their breath he would be found alive, given the fact he survived being stranded in shark-infested seas for hours; and lived after a nearly 30,000-foot plunge in a defective balloon.

• Related story: Wife asks court to declare Steve Fossett dead

Coal miners - The bodies of six miners, including three Mexican nationals, were never found after the Aug. 6 cave-in of the Crandall Canyon Mine near Huntington, Utah. Rescue efforts were put off indefinitely after four weeks of drilling holes into the mine for signs of life. The missing miners are identified as Kerry Allred, Don Erickson, Luis Hernandez, Carlos Payan, Brandon Phillips and Manuel Sanchez.

Three underground rescuers were also killed when a second collapse happened during the rescue efforts.

Related story: Search for 6 Utah miners is suspended

Under investigation

Canadians dying in Mexico - In 2007, there have been several reported cases of Canadian tourists

dying in the vacation hot spots. Their families suspect foul play may have played a role in their deaths and have argued Mexican officials are not investigating the cases properly. The Canadian government has said it will not issue a travel advisory to the country, but is taking the deaths "very seriously."

Chris Morin: The Alberta resident died when he fell off his fourth-floor hotel room balcony on Nov. 21. His friend says he heard the musician argue with someone right before he fell asleep. Mexican officials say they found traces of alcohol and drugs in his system. They concluded his fall was either accidental or self-inflicted.

• Related story: Another Canadian dies in Cancun after balcony fall

Jeff Toews - Toews, another Albertan, died in May during a vacation with his wife and several other couples in Cancun. He was at a nightclub with his wife and friends but made repeated visits to his room. A security guard told his wife they found him sprawled on the grounds. His family believes he was beaten but Mexican authorities said they believe he accidentally fell out of his second-story hotel balcony.

• Related story: Mourners remember Alta. man who died in Mexico

Adam DePrisco: The mother of the 19-year-old said she believes locals beat her son to death after getting into a fight in a nightclub in January. She claimed her son was hit by a car as he tried to flee his attackers. Mexican police said they're investigating a hit and run. They don't believe DePrisco was beaten before he was hit.

January was particularly violent for Canadians in Mexico. Two people from Niagara Falls, Ont. were caught by stray bullets in a shootout while in their Acapulco hotel.

A 67-year-old Chatham, Ont. man was killed in January near Lake Chapala in a hit and run accident. His wife was so badly injured, she couldn't attend his funeral.

• Related story: Another Canadian dies in Cancun after balcony fall

Vancouver gang wars - A task force has been set up by Vancouver police to tackle escalating gang violence and several unsolved shootings in the Lower Mainland. The "Violence Suppression Team" was set up after a number of high-profile public shootings.

In one incident, two people were killed by an alleged hitman who reportedly boxed in their car and sprayed their SUV with bullets. In another, two innocent bystanders were among six people killed in a Surrey highrise and in Vancouver, police had their hands full with a mass shooting at a Chinese restaurant.

Several gang members were hauled into custody and police are keeping an eye on several different gangs in the region.

• Related story: Vancouver-area police set up gang task force

Philanthropist killed - Although Toronto police released pictures of two suspects in connection with the shooting of well-known philanthropist Glen Davis, his murder remains unsolved. The 66-year-old was gunned down in an underground parking lot on May 18 in what police have deemed a targeted murder. Davis had just finished a lunch appointment with a representative from the World Wildlife fund when he was shot. His death has been a huge blow to environmental groups who counted him as one of their main benefactors.

• Related story: Police hunt for Toronto philanthropist's killer

Mummified baby - Toronto detectives had an 82-year-old mystery on their hands when a renovator discovered a mummified baby wrapped in newspapers dating back to the 1920s hidden in the attic floorboards. Forensic tests showed the baby was in fact born in the 1920s and was just a few months old at the time of death.

When news of the mystery baby made headlines in July, several people came forward with their own story, trying to see if they could be a distant relative of the boy. Toronto's deputy chief coroner ruled they would be too far removed from the parentage of the baby to conclusively determine his identity. Baby Kintyre, named after the residential street where he was finally found, was buried at Elgin Mills Cemetery and was honoured at a ceremony organized by the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness.

• Related story: Trauma not to blame for mummified baby's death

JUSTICE

Meanwhile, several stories that have taken years to unfold finally came to a close in 2007. Here is a quick look at the three biggest stories the justice system put to rest.

Robert Pickton - B.C. pig farmer Robert Pickton officially became Canada's worst serial killer when hewas convicted of killing six women in December. Pickton was arrested in Feb. 2002, but the scope of the case resulted in years of forensic investigation and trial preparation. The search of his Port Coquitlam farm is the most intensive forensic investigation in Canadian history. On Dec. 11, a judge sentenced the 58-year-old to six life terms in prison, with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

• Related story: Some key dates in the Pickton case

The wrongly accused - Stephen Truscott and William Mullins-Johnson became free men after serving years in prison for crimes they have always said they did not commit.

Truscott, the youngest Canadian ever handed the death penalty, spent a decade behind bars for the murder of Lynne Harper. He was paroled in 1969 and eventually carried on a new life under an assumed name. Determined to clear his name, Truscott eventually got the federal government to review his case. An Ontario Court of Appeal eventually determined that a "miscarriage of justice" was committed. Truscott was acquitted of the charges in August.

• Related story: Chronology: Key events in the Steven Truscott case

Mullins-Johnson spent 12 years in prison after being convicted of killing his four-year-old niece in 1993. In October, it was determined that he was wrongly convicted as a result of flawed forensic findings.

A review found the conclusions of Dr. Charles Smith, Ontario's chief coroner, were questionable in 20 autopsies involving children. Thirteen of those cases resulted in criminal charges.

Mullins Johnson was acquitted after it was deemed that the evidence that sent him to prison in the first place was unreliable.

• Related story: Mullins-Johnson acquitted in 1993 death of niece

Conrad Black - A U.S. jury found the former media baron guilty in July of obstructing justice, plus three counts of criminal fraud. This was after years of investigation into his dealings within his newspaper empire, Hollinger Inc.

Prosecutors argued that Black and others wrongly pocketed US$60 million in non-compete fees - money paid to a seller to ensure they don't start up a competing publication with the one they just sold. The prosecution said that money should have gone to the shareholders.

Black was also accused of using company cash to fund his lavish lifestyle, including expensive vacations and a luxury Manhattan apartment.

Black's lawyers countered their client properly disclosed all of his payments and that he only used company funds for legitimate business expenses. In December, Black's associate David Radler was sentenced to 29 months in jail after a judge approved the plea deal reached between the former Hollinger executive and prosecutors. Radler made the deal in exchange for his testimony against Black.

• Related story: Black guilty of four charges, including obstruction
• Related story: Radler, Black's right hand, gets 29-month sentence