Mariam Makhniashvili has been missing since last September. (CBC)

Nearly a year after their daughter's disappearance, the family of a Toronto teen refuses to give up hope she will be found.

Vakhtang Makhniashvili spends his days surfing the internet hoping for some sign of his daughter, Mariam.

"The most difficult part of it is we don't know anything at all still and the police don't have any more evidence," Vakhtang Makhniashvili told CBC News.

"I have strong faith that Mariam will be found, otherwise it would be so really difficult to go on," added Mariam's mother, Lela Tabdize.

Mariam was 17 when she left her home for Forest Hill Collegiate with her brother George on the morning of Sept. 14, 2009. The pair separated at the back door of the high school and Mariam headed for the front door.

She has not been seen since.

Her backpack and schoolbooks were discovered in a parking lot near Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue a few weeks after she vanished but since then police have had no concrete leads, despite interviews with thousands of people.

The last 12 months have been a blur, her parents said.

"It was like walking between death and life, and we need to keep our strength because we're waiting for good news but we know that our chances could be slim," the mother said.

Father under house arrest

It didn't make it easier on the family when Vakhtang Makniashvili was arrested for assaulting a neighbour in May. He's under house arrest.

"These issues are much smaller in comparison with this tragic event," Vakhtang said.

The Makhniashvilis say they have lost the joy in their lives but are trying to keep things as normal as they can for the sake of their son, George. But it's harder as they mark the passing of time.

"The first parent-teacher meeting I came out and I had only one paper for my son and none for Mariam — and it was [the] first shock for me, realizing what was really going on," Lela Makniashvili said. "And now [it] is going to be first day of school without Mariam Makhniashvili … it is painful." said Lela.

Mariam's parents said they will continue to cling to the hope she is alive because the alternative is unbearable.