Winnipeg police are renewing calls for help locating a man who's been missing for nearly five months.

Eduardo Balaquit, 59, vanished Jun.4.

Balaquit's family hopes the appeal by police helps turn up new clues.

It’s a case they want to keep in the public eye.

"It's not something you get over,” said Edward Balaquit of his father’s disappearance. “Not until you get all the facts and information and until everything is actually over it's never going to be over.”

Balaquit’s vehicle was found with a smashed-out passenger-side window in a plaza next to an office on Keewatin St. where he did custodial work.

The Winnipeg Police Service previously said it believes Balaquit was the victim of a crime and now says it's very likely he's the victim of a homicide.

"Homicide is involved in this investigation and is now the lead,” said Const. Rob Carver. “We certainly suspect that's the case.”

“I can tell you it’s always a difficult transition for investigators from what initially starts as a missing person case to what moves to very, very likely a homicide.”

Investigators zeroed in on the community of Arborg over the summer where they expanded the search for Balaquit.

Detectives believe clues may still lie in that area north of Winnipeg which could help solve the case.

Clues which investigators say could be more visible in the fall season and want hunters and anyone else to be mindful of as they head into the woods or rural areas.

"Items that may seem insignificant to the casual observer may have significant relevance to the investigation," said Carver. "We had an extensive ground search in the Arborg area. We may have missed something and if someone comes upon something that looks odd or out of place, we'd like a call."

Specifically, police want people to look for a black zip-up sweater, black pants and black shoes which Balaquit was wearing at the time of his disappearance.

Family members and volunteers also scoured the Arborg area over the summer.

While the ground searches have ended, the investigation remains active.

Balaquit's son Edward said until it's proven otherwise, he's holding out hope his father will be found alive.

"We take it day-by-day and hope that we get that phone call by police saying, 'you know what, case is closed, we found something.'"

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or homicide detectives at 204-985-6508.