AMERICA’S MOST WANTED – Vancouver missing women segments
AMW Unknown Vancouver Serial killer, July 31, 1999
http://www2.amw.com/site/archives/19990731/unvkiller.html
Vancouver Police are looking for the killer or killers of 30 or more prostitutes missing from a four block corridor of Vancouver's downtown Eastside.
It all began in the early 1980's – one-by-one prostitutes began disappearing. In total, more than 30 prostitutes have disappeared, and police aren't sure who is responsible. Police have no crime scenes and no bodies. But, they do have a clue. Police want to talk to an anonymous caller who left a message on a toll free hot line in July 1998. In the recording, the caller warns police and the friends of victims to "stop searching because Sarah (one of the victims) is dead." The caller also said that prostitutes will keep being killed, "one every Friday night." Police say the call may be a hoax, and there is nothing backing up the Friday night murder claim.
Local Eastside residence and the prostitutes left on the streets are also looking out for a mysterious brown van, they claim, prowls the area on weekends. They say the driver of the van may hold clues to solving this case.
AMW Unknown Vancouver Serial killer, July 22, 2000
http://www2.amw.com/site/thisweek/20000722/vancouver20000722.html
Vancouver Police are looking for the killer or killers
of 31 or more prostitutes missing from a four block corridor of Vancouver's
downtown east side.
It all began 1995‹ one by one prostitutes began disappearing from the downtown
east side. In total, more than 31 prostitutes have disappeared and police aren't
sure who is responsible. Police have no crime scenes and no bodies. Of the
original 31 missing women, four were recovered: two alive and two died under
normal circumstances. Currently, 27 women are still missing from the poster.
Vancouver Police claim an additional 3 missing women's disappearances from the
east side are being investigated: Sherry Leigh Irving, Brenda Wolfe and Jennifer
Furminger‹they're not recent disappearances, but rather their disappearances as
late as early 1999 were just brought to the attention of police.
Since the July 1999 broadcast, Vancouver Police have recovered four of the
missing women. Two were found alive and two died in hospitals due to natural
causes.
Police say the anonymous caller who left a message on a 1-800 number set up by a
friend of one of the victims last year was a hoax. Also, police are no longer
interested in a brown van that prowled the east side area on weekends. The van's
presence is unrelated to this case.
AMW Robert Pickton capture, April 6, 2002
http://www2.amw.com/site/thisweek/P/PicktonRobert/picktonindex.html
Vancouver Missing Women Update
(Robert Pickton Capture)
Murder
Data From: Vancouver B.C. Police Department
(AMW: 7/31/99; 7/22/00; 4/6/02)
Story:
After nearly twenty years, police have made an
arrest in the case of the Vancouver Missing Women. In February they
charged Robert Pickton with the murders of Serenna Abotsway and Mona Wilson, who
had been missing from Vancouver's eastside. Last week, police added three
more murder charges.
Prostitutes began disappearing from the downtown east side in the early 1980s.
America's Most Wanted first profiled the story in 1999, after the
number of missing women skyrocketed to 30. In total, more than 50
prostitutes have disappeared and police are still looking for more information
about the pig farm and Robert Pickton.
Last spring, police formed a task force with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
and began a review of old tips. In February 2002, investigators began a
search of a pig farm owned by two brothers, Dave and Robert Pickton, in a suburb
of Vancouver called in Port Coquitlam. According to newspaper reports,
police are finding bloody clothing, identification and other personal belongings
of some of the missing women.
Reports say, Robert frequented the eastside and that he picked up prostitutes
and brought them back to a bar on or near his property. There is also
speculation that Robert fed the women's bodies to his pigs or disposed of them
by boiling down the remains in a giant vat. He may have sold that material
to a rendering plant on the eastside of Vancouver.
Although they have made an arrest, police have not closed the investigation into
the missing women. They are still interested in any information about the
Picktons, their farm and the missing prostitutes.