Missing woman's kin dealt new blow

By PETER SMITH -- Calgary Sun

Many family members of 50 missing Vancouver women dealt with a new tragedy yesterday by attending the funeral of a relative of one of the missing women.

Some of the mourners at the Maple Ridge, B.C., funeral travelled there from a Port Coquitlam pig farm where police are conducting a massive search for clues to the missing women.

Janet Henry, 36, a drug addict and prostitute, was added to the list of missing women more than four years ago when she disappeared off a Vancouver street in June 1997.

Her disappearance brought mental anguish for her sister, Sandra Gagnon, 45, who has spent the past three years helping raise public awareness about the plight of all the missing women, including her sister.

This week, Gagnon's son, Terry, 24, the nephew of the missing woman, was found dead, and family members revealed he'd taken his own life.

"Many of the family members of the missing women felt they could provide comfort to Sandra by attending the funeral," said Wayne Leng, a campaigner for action to find the missing women.

Meanwhile, the huge task of obtaining DNA related to all 50 missing women is expanding.

Since more than 40 investigators on the missing-women task force descended on the pig farm two weeks ago, police have revealed they discovered human DNA on the 10-acre site. Immediate relatives of the missing women have been coming forward to produce DNA samples to assist police in identifying the samples they have discovered.

A police appeal for anyone who has visited the pig farm to come forward and give DNA has already brought responses from 60 people.

More than 85 officers are involved in the search, police are building a temporary police station on the pig farm, and refrigerated trucks have been brought on site to deal with potential evidence being located.

Courtesy of the Calgary Sun

The following link is to an article about Sandra and the tragedies that she and her family have suffered.