Dosanjh unveils reward poster
By Jason Proctor, Staff Reporter, The Province, Wed. July 28, 1999.
The host of America's Most Wanted has thrown his popular television
show’s resources into solving the mystery of 31 women missing from
Vancouver’s downtown east side.
Standing
shoulder-to-shoulder with Vancouver’s top law-enforcement officials yesterday,
John Walsh said he hopes international exposure will help crack the case and
bring closure to dozens of relatives whose loved ones have vanished in recent
years.
“There may be
something very wrong here,” Walsh told a packed police news conference.
“It’s very unusual for 31 people—no matter what they do, no matter
what trade they’re in—to disappear.”
Joining Walsh
was Attorney-General Ujjal Dosanjh, who unveiled a new poster, to be distributed
North America-wide, offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to
whoever is responsible for kidnapping or killing any or all of the women.
The segment will
air this Saturday as part of a show devoted to Vancouver crimes—including the
shooting of abortion doctor Garson Romanlis, and the hunt for Ninderjit Singh,
the prime suspect in the murder of 18-year-old Poonan Randhawa.
Both Walsh and
Dosanjh stressed the complexities of dealing with a case in which no evidence of
foul play or criminality exists.
Until
recently, the number of missing women had been about two dozen, most of whom
have vanished since 1995. Police
have now added more cases, with one stretching back to 1978.
Missing
Downtown Eastside Women
The Ministry of Attorney-General and the
Vancouver Police Board have authorized a reward of up to $100,000 for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons
responsible for the unlawful confinement, kidnapping or murder of any one or
more of the women listed as missing in this reward poster, a reward will be
decided by the Vancouver Police Board, in its sole discretion, and that decision
is final, binding and not reviewable. Only those people who come forward and
volunteer information which is received by the Vancouver Police Department on or
before May 1, 2000, will be eligible to receive a reward. Any persons having
information regarding the unlawful confinement, kidnapping or murder of any of
the missing women listed in this poster are requested to communicate that
information immediately to the Vancouver Police Department, Missing Persons
Unit. North America at: 1-800-993-8799 In the Vancouver area at: (604) 717-3415
or Call your local police agency or You can remain anonymous and call: 669-TIPS