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Police prepare reward poster with photos of missing
women
LINDSAY KINES: The Vancouver Sun, Saturday, June 5,1999.
Vancouver police plan to release a reward poster
featuring the photographs of more than 20 women who have disappeared from the Downtown
Eastside.
The wording of the $100,000 reward is still being reviewed by the
city's lawyers. But the poster could be completed as early as next week.
The wording has been particularly tricky because police have no
evidence that any of the women has met with foul play. There are no crime scenes, and no
bodies have been discovered.
"When you're talking about a $100,000 reward you have to
narrow the focus," media liaison Constable Anne Drennan said Friday. "So we've
been trying to meet the challenge with the lawyers...so that it will quite probably
pertain mostly to information with respect to foul play and/or any kind of criminal
activity surrounding the disappearance of the women."
Drennan said the poster will be released at a press conference,
and that police are still considering setting up a tips line to handle calls from the
public.
In the meantime, anyone with information on the women's
disappearances is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 669-TIPS.
Drennan said the reward poster will include pictures of all 20
women who have disappeared since 1995. The women were involved in drugs and/or the sex
trade.
Of those cases, two were reported to police this year, 10 in
1998, three in 1997, two in 1996 and three in 1995.
The most recent addition to the list is that of Jacqueline
McDonell. The 23 year-old was last seen on Jan.16 of this year. She was reported missing
Feb.22.
The poster is also expected to include information and some
photographs of women who disappeared from 1978 to 1992.
In many cases, the dates and times when the women were last seen
is only a best guess by police because the women of ten were not reported missing for
months.
Vancouver police recently assigned two homicide detectives to its
team of officers investigating the women's disappearance. Although there is no evidence
the women have been murdered, the detectives will examine the possibility of a serial
predator.
Investigators have already sought the assistance of authorities
working major serial cases in Washington and New York states. Vancouver police say the
discussions have been general in nature, and have focused on how law enforcement in those
states conducted its investigations.
In addition to the two detectives, Vancouver Police have two
missing person investigators assigned to the case, as well as a geographic and
psychological profilers.
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