Highway of Tears case: Death of B.C. woman investigated as possible victim of serial killer remains unsolved
Highway of Tears case: Death of B.C. woman investigated as possible victim of serial killer remains unsolved
Roxanne Thiara is shown in an undated photo from Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers.
It's a mystery that remains unsolved nearly three decades later: What exactly happened to Roxanne Thiara?
Police say "there is no such thing as a cold case," and this week, a local division of Crime Stoppers made an attempt to bring in fresh leads Tuesday.
The young woman is one of several in British Columbia believed to have met their end on a notorious stretch of roadway dubbed the "Highway of Tears."
Police say "there is no such thing as a cold case," and this week, a local division of Crime Stoppers made an attempt to bring in fresh leads.
Thiara's remains were found in August 1994 on Highway 16, between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
The 725-kilometre section of highway has also been tied to many cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Thiara was one of more than a dozen women whose deaths were examined by an RCMP task force ordered to look into the possibility that a serial killer, or more than one killer, was active in the province.
The investigation involving the women who were killed along major highways was called Project E-PANA, named for the Inuit word "Pana," describing the spirit goddess who looks after souls before they go on to heaven or are re-incarnated.
It started with the cases of nine women, and soon grew to 18, most of whom are believed to be homicide victims. Five could not be found.
The victims were all female, and were either hitchhiking or engaged in something else the RCMP deemed to be "high-risk behaviour." They were all last seen, or their remains were found, near three B.C. highways between 1969 and 2006
In addition to Highway 16, highways 97 and 5 were also included.
Police said the initial years of investigation determined that a single serial killer was not responsible for all of the 18 deaths and disappearances.
At the time of the latest update, in 2012, there were still 50 investigators and support staff working to solve the cases of the missing and murdered women.
Some remain unsolved to this day, including that of Thiara.
In an attempt to encourage tips, CrimeStoppers is reminding the public that it is an option for those who, for various reasons, don't want to speak to police or don't want to be tied to the case.
"We'll get your information to the police without revealing who you are," CSCO wrote in a Facebook post that included a photo of the missing woman.
Tips can be made to CSCO at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
The post doesn't mention a possible payout, but the non-profit's website says it pays rewards of up to $2,000 for tips that lead to charges or an arrest.
CTV News has reached out to the RCMP for more information on Thiara and her case. This article will be updated if additional information is made available.
Canada's privacy commissioner says the belated disclosure that RCMP has for years been using spyware capable of accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data as part of major investigations, is a clear example of why Canada's Privacy Act needs updating.
Saskatoon police say a woman who had been reported missing is facing charges in the United States related to unauthorized use of identification and in Canada related to parental abduction and public mischief.
A suspect already in handcuffs has allegedly managed to overpower a Toronto police officer and steal their SUV, sending police on a wild early morning chase.
Authorities in the Northwest Territories are monitoring a large 'zombie fire' that flared back up following last wildfire season after smouldering underground during the winter months.
A housing correction which has already led to four consecutive months of price declines in the previously overheated Greater Toronto Area market could end up becoming 'one of the deepest of the past half a century,' a new report from RBC warns.
Mounties say nearly two dozen impaired drivers were taken off the road over the B.C. Day long weekend in the Lake Cowichan area, and a half-dozen more drivers were ticketed for excessive speeding.
The District of Saanich is removing car lanes and replacing them with protected bike lanes along a stretch of Tillicum Road near the border with Esquimalt, B.C.
Canada's privacy commissioner says the belated disclosure that RCMP has for years been using spyware capable of accessing cell phone and computer microphones, cameras and other data as part of major investigations, is a clear example of why Canada's Privacy Act needs updating.
Ontario's health minister says six emergency departments had to close in the province over the weekend, but she argues that the situation isn't unprecedented.
A housing correction which has already led to four consecutive months of price declines in the previously overheated Greater Toronto Area market could end up becoming 'one of the deepest of the past half a century,' a new report from RBC warns.
Montreal police are investigating the suspicious death of a man discovered in a bin during recycling collection in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Monday morning.
A Manitoba woman who abused and killed her daughter in one of the province's most notorious crimes has been granted escorted temporary absences from prison.
The deputy mayor of a southern Newfoundland town says his community is running out of food as it remains cut off from the rest of the island due to the worst forest fires the province has seen in more than 60 years.
Halifax has cancelled 75 bus trips due to a lack of transit staff, and the union representing the drivers says staffing levels will likely get worse before they get better.
A weather front sprawling out of Ontario and Quebec is leading a low pressure system across the Maritimes Monday through Tuesday. Rain, drizzle and fog are expected in the region with some areas experiencing heavy rain for a period of time.
The intense heat and humidity will break with the passage of a cold front Monday night into Tuesday morning. But, showers and thunderstorms are bubbling up in advance of the cold front on Monday.
Brantford Police have issued an arrest warrant for a man and are asking the public for help identifying a second man following a police chase which resulted in multiple collisions and the two suspects evading arrest.
Roxanne Thiara is shown in an undated photo from Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers.
