The York Regional Police homicide unit has taken over the case of a missing Richmond Hill woman it believes may be the victim of foul play.

Relatives of Cheryl Rowe said they last saw her at a home on Browndale Crescent, near Bayview Avenue and Elgin Mills Road East, around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 21, 2011.

Officers say their investigation has turned up evidence suggesting the 45-year-old woman may have been harmed.

She is described as white, five feet tall, 125 pounds, with a thin build, short, dark-brown hair and brown eyes.

When Rowe disappeared, she was wearing dark jeans, a light-blue two-toned jacket, purple Adidas running shoes and a white baseball hat with a green leaf on the front.

Police have released a photo of Rowe wearing the same hat when a security camera captured her at a Richmond Hill store.