Professional Documents
Culture Documents
investigation review
SUMMARY REPORT
doug l e pard – deputy chief constable
august 2010
©V
ancouver Police Department, 2010.
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Table of Contents
K EY FINDINGS OF r e p o r t 4
pa r t I : T h e m i s s i n g w o m e n i n v e s t i g at i o n 19 97 t o f e b r u a r y 2 0 02 6
introduction 6
19 97 / 19 9 8 6
19 9 9 8
2 0 0 0 12
2 0 01 14
2 0 02 16
pa r t i i : A n a ly s i s o f t h e m i s s i n g w o m e n i n v e s t i g at i o n 18
introduction 18
t h e v p d ’ s l a c k o f co m m i t m e n t t o t h e s e r i a l k i l l e r t h e o ry 19
t h e i m pa c t o f r e s o u r c e s h o r ta g e s o n t h e m i s s i n g w o m e n i n v e s t i g at i o n 21
t h e n e e d f o r a m u lt i -j u r i s d i c i a l i n v e s t i g at i o n 21
h o w t h e v p d i n v e s t i g at i o n co u l d h av e b e e n i m p r o v e d 22
T h e P i c k t o n I n v e s t i g at i o n P r i o r t o t h e F e b r u a ry 2 0 02 S e a r c h Wa r r a n t s 24
conclusion 27
r e c o m m e n dat i o n s 28
e p i l o g u e 29
We now know that many of the Missing Women 2. When the VPD did respond with an investigative
fell prey to a serial killer. It should be noted at the unit targeted at investigating the Missing Women
outset that while it is clear today who the serial as potential serial murders, the investigative team
killer was, that is with the benefit of hindsight. Even suffered from a lack of resources, poor
when a fully functioning multi-jurisdictional team of continuity of staffing, multi-jurisdictional
highly competent and experienced investigators was challenges, a lack of training, and a lack of
assembled and had the capacity to review all available leadership, among other challenges.
information, it still didn’t identify Pickton as a priority
suspect and the case broke because of serendipitous 3. There was compelling information received and
circumstances. As well, two other serial murder developed by the VPD and the RCMP from August
cases in BC remain unresolved, despite extraordinary 1998 to late 1999 suggesting that Pickton was
investigative efforts; clearly the challenges of a serial the likely killer, and it was sufficient to justify a
killer investigation are immense. sustained and intensive investigation. The VPD
received the first information about Pickton in July
The disappearances of the Missing Women began in and August 1998, and also received extraordinary
the mid-1990s and ended when Robert Pickton was information from an unrelated informant in 1999.
arrested in February 2002. The Review examines The information suggested that Downtown Eastside
the general failures occurring in the Vancouver Police sex trade workers were willingly visiting the Pickton
Department investigation, and also the specific failures property in Coquitlam and some were being
occurring in the Coquitlam RCMP investigation murdered there.
after they received information and evidence in 1998
and 1999 that directly linked Pickton to homicides 4. The VPD passed on ALL information about
of sex trade workers. The Review concludes with Pickton to the RCMP when it received it, because
recommendations that, if implemented, would the RCMP had jurisdiction over the investigation
correct problems and minimize the probability of of information pertaining to crimes occurring in
such problems from occurring again. Some of these Coquitlam.
deficiencies have been corrected since they were first
identified in 2004, but there are others beyond the
control of the VPD that have not been satisfactorily
addressed.
On May 19th, 1999, Sergeant Field hosted a brainstorming In June 1999, Pickton was identified as the suspect in a
session, and shortly after, an investigative team, the threatening incident against a New Westminster sex trade
“Missing Women Review Team” (MWRT), was created. worker, and this information was relayed to Corporal
Detective Constable Shenher was assigned full-time, as Connor. Although the VPD continued to minimize
were Detective Ron Lepine and Detective Constable Mark publicly the likelihood of a serial killer, in the MWRT the
Chernoff from the Homicide Squad, a clerical assistant, investigators vigorously pursued a variety of investigative
, as well as a “part-time” analyst, Detective strategies, including consulting with other agencies that
Constable Carl Vinje, who would assist depending had handled serial killing cases. The RCMP’s Behavioural
on his availability. Sergeant Field was assigned as the Science Group provided an analysis of the Missing Women
MWRT supervisor, but was not relieved of her full-time case that was based on the theory that a predator was
responsibilities as a Homicide Squad supervisor. Detective responsible, and made investigative suggestions.
Inspector Rossmo was named as a “resource.”
The resources of the MWRT had quickly proved to be
The creation of the MWRT was a significant event in inadequate. Sergeant Field documented the “absolutely
that the investigation was no longer a missing persons essential” need for a full-time analyst, but was unsuccessful
On October 22nd, 1999, Sergeant Field submitted a On December 14th, 1999, sex trade worker Wendy
comprehensive summary of the investigation to date. She Crawford was reported missing. She was the first woman
expressed concerns about the lack of full-time staff and reported missing from the Downtown Eastside since
noted that since January 1999, new women who had been January 1999 who could not be accounted for.
reported missing had all been found quickly. She further
noted that 537 tips had been assigned for follow-up and On December 15th, 1999, the MWRT located two more of
they were investigating 13 suspects (with Pickton being the Missing Women, and , both
number one), but that there was “no end to the number of of whom were alive and living under new names in
strange violent men…” that might be responsible for the
Missing Women. She advised that the MWRT’s greatest On December 29th, 1999, Constable recorded in
challenge was the time delay between the women being her notes that the Coquitlam RCMP Pickton file had been
reported missing and the time they were last seen. She also inactive because of other priorities.
noted that the Coquitlam RCMP was still investigating
Pickton. Recognizing that her own responsibilities running
a homicide squad compromised her ability to supervise the
MWRT, Sergeant Field recommended a full-time Sergeant 2000
for the MWRT, but this was not approved.
On January 10th, 2000, Sergeant Field submitted a status
In November 1999, the VPD’s media liaison, Constable report to Acting Inspector citing the problems
Anne Drennan, acknowledged publicly that there could be a created by the lack of an MWRT analyst, highlighting the
serial killer. challenges of searching medical records, advising that no
new women had been reported missing since January of
In late November, one of the MWRT’s suspects, 1999 who weren’t accounted for (not yet being aware of
on whom Detective Constables and the missing person report for Wendy Crawford), setting out
had focused almost exclusively, was by DNA various investigative strategies, and summarizing staffing
testing eliminated as a suspect in the Agassiz/Mission challenges.
On February 10th, 2000, MWRT members met with On April 14th, 2000, RCMP Air Services obtained aerial
RCMP profilers to discuss strategies to solve the Agassiz/ photos of the Pickton property for Constable
Mission murders, still believing they might be linked to
some of the Missing Women. Detective Constable Shenher On , 2000, Detective Constables and
reported that the profilers were planning to submit a arrested in on a
report to their superiors recommending the Pickton file be warrant pursuant to their investigation into sexual assaults
re-opened and that a Joint Forces Operation (“JFO”) be on sex trade workers in Vancouver (which later resulted
created. in multiple convictions). The following month Detective
Constables and were released from the
Meanwhile, the MWRT had acquired familial DNA MWRT but were not replaced.
for 22 of the 27 Missing Women, was still searching
medical records, was following-up a variety of tips (some On May 9th, 2000, Sergeant Field advised Inspector Gord
quite bizarre), and was attempting to identify high risk Spencer, who had replaced Acting Inspector the
offenders whose custody status might match the pattern previous month, that she was making progress with having
of women being reported missing. The investigators were the Provincial Unsolved Homicide Unit or an RCMP task
frustrated by the large pool of potential suspects and the force take over the Missing Women investigation. She
lack of information with which to eliminate them. All the believed the RCMP had now conceded the Missing Women
while, the investigation and its resources were continuing were likely to have been murdered in an RCMP jurisdiction.
to deteriorate, and Sergeant Field’s continued efforts to
convince the RCMP to create a JFO had not been successful. On May 10th, 2000, Detective Constable Shenher
submitted a status report to Sergeant Field advising that if
On August 10th, 2000, VPD Inspector Spencer made In December 2000, Detective Constable Shenher was
a formal request to the RCMP that it review the VPD’s transferred from the Missing Persons Unit, bitter and
complete investigation, which by this time included follow- discouraged about how the Missing Women investigation
up on approximately 1,200 tips, investigation of numerous had gone. Before she left, she submitted a detailed report
suspects, and extensive records searches. Because of summarizing the Missing Women investigation, including
problems with data management and transfer, the file the challenges it faced, and her recommendation that future
transfer to the RCMP was delayed until October. investigators focus on suspects and on finding the Missing
Women’s bodies.
To benefit from another police department’s experience
in investigating serial murder, in early October 2000, Also in December 2000, two more women, Dawn Crey and
Detective Constable Shenher attended a presentation in Deborah Jones, were reported missing from the Downtown
Spokane regarding the investigation into serial killer Robert Eastside, both of whom had been seen recently. This
Lee Yates. That month she and other VPD members also marked the beginning of another alarming series of reports
searched several areas in the Fraser Valley pursuant to tips of women going missing from the Downtown Eastside.
about a violent sex offender.
On December 12th, 2000, Sergeant Field met with then-
In late October 2000, Detective Constable Shenher Sergeant Don Adam of the RCMP to discuss the creation of
appeared on a talk show and openly stated, as she had in the a JFO. They agreed that the investigators needed to identify
past, that she was certain the Missing Women were victims all potential victims, prioritize suspects, and determine
of foul play. Around the same time, she contacted family investigative strategies.
members of the Missing Women to tell them she would soon
be leaving the investigation.
10
By the summer of 1999, there was ample evidence,
albeit statistical and circumstantial, to believe that a 8
serial killer was most likely responsible for the Missing
6
Women. The longer the Missing Women remained missing
despite exhaustive efforts to find them – and despite their 4
historically frequent contact with society in various ways –
2
the more compelling was this evidence. There was strong
evidence pointing to Pickton as the killer, which could only 0
add to the credibility of the serial killer theory. Further, 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98
19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19
it was already known that an unidentified serial killer had
murdered sex trade workers Pipe, Olajide and Younker in
1995, all of whom were associated with the Downtown
Eastside. Finally, by the time the MWRT got underway, and
throughout the rest of 1999 and most of 2000, it appeared
The theory that a serial killer was behind the that no new women had gone missing from the Downtown
disappearances was always present in the investigation, but Eastside. This lessened the perceived urgency, and
senior police officers in charge of overseeing the Missing investigative priority, of the case.
Women investigation didn’t commit to the serial killer
theory for several reasons. These included an erroneous Throughout 2000, there was no proper management
belief that the Missing Women were transient, and that assessment of the investigation, and it deteriorated. Various
other theories could explain their absence. There was managers in the Investigation Division took a hands-
a mindset among several police managers that physical off approach to the investigation, and consequently had
evidence (i.e., a body) was required to begin a murder insufficient knowledge of the many problems within the
investigation, although this view was not shared by all the MWRT, and with the investigative approach. A diffusion
investigators. In addition, for a variety of reasons, VPD and dilution of information as it moved up the chain of
management gave insufficient weight to Detective Inspector command contributed to this problem, as did the rapid
Rossmo’s statistical and epidemiological-style analysis of the turnover of management staff. In addition, there was a lack
Missing Women. In part, this was the result of personality of clarity around the goals of the investigation: the problem
conflicts with Detective Inspector Rossmo and in part it that the investigative team was facing wasn’t clearly defined
was due to a belief that statistical evidence alone could and so the response was erratic. Sergeant Field and the
not justify concluding that the Missing Women had been investigative team were not given the support they needed
murdered, despite the compelling circumstantial evidence by VPD management, who did not recognize the seriousness
that supported the statistical analysis. of the problem. This case underscores the importance
of proper, periodic management reviews of significant
Senior police managers also placed too much emphasis investigations.
on the fact that Constable Dickson had accounted for the
majority of women on a previous list of missing women in
1997, and had little regard for the more concerning fact that
he had accomplished that task quite easily, yet the Missing
Women couldn’t be located despite a much more exhaustive
investigation.
There is no doubt that the disappearance of a large number The lack of a formal, unequivocal warning that a serial
of women with more conventional lives than sex trade killer had been operating was misguided, but was not the
workers would have been greeted with greater alarm than result of a lack of concern for sex trade workers. The VPD’s
the disappearance of the Missing Women. This is not failure to issue a warning arose from the reluctance of the
because the sex trade workers were considered “second VPD to recognize and acknowledge that a serial killer was
class” citizens, but because the nature of their lives is much likely the cause of the disappearances. The possibility that
more unpredictable and risky than more conventional a serial killer was at work was, however, widely appreciated
lifestyles. Sex trade workers normally have little day to by the sex trade workers themselves. In any event, while
day accountability to employers, nuclear families, schools making a strong public warning may have been useful as
and the like, and are constantly exposed to risk of death a catalyst to improve the investigation, it would not have
by disease, drug overdose or at the hands of any one of resulted in changes to the high-risk behaviours of the sex
the numerous violent men who seek to pick up sex trade trade workers of the Downtown Eastside, which are driven
workers on any given day. While there was a significant by their addictions and marginalization.
misconception prevalent in the VPD as to the transience of
“low track” sex trade workers beyond a lack of day to day It should also be noted that the VPD has made great
accountability for their whereabouts, it is also the case that strides in improving relationships with sex trade workers,
the Missing Women were often reported missing long after as demonstrated by the positive relationships built
last being seen, which lent credence to the theory that they with sex trade worker advocacy groups through VPD-
were transient and that long absences were not unexpected initiated collaborative training to reduce violence against
by those who knew them. marginalized women.
• that the Inspectors selected to be in charge of the • create a protocol or framework for the rapid
Major Crime Section have the necessary experience; formation of multi-jurisdictional major
case investigations, including mechanisms to seek
• that the Executive be fully briefed on major cases;
assistance, and for extraordinary funding for such
• that the major case management model is followed investigations;
for task force investigations;
• conduct an examination of the benefits of a
• that the VPD ensure replacement officers in a regional police force in the Lower Mainland;
major case investigation team are fully briefed on
the investigation; and • develop provincial standards for the management
of major cases in BC, and that support be
• that the current efforts by the VPD to forge provided for the RCMP’s major case
improved relationships with the sex trade workers management accreditation process, which should
of the Downtown Eastside continue to be strongly include municipal police departments;
supported by VPD management.
• strike a Provincial committee of key stakeholders
to study and make recommendations regarding
Regarding the City of Vancouver
a single uniform computerized case management
system by police agencies throughout British
• The VPD should encourage the City of Vancouver
Columbia for major cases; and
to continue to support the resource needs of the VPD
so that no major investigation is compromised by a • continue to support the new provincial analysis
lack of sufficient staff and expertise. unit to examine missing persons cases and to
provide further attention to eliminating barriers
to making missing persons reports.