Second search warrant in missing women case
THE NOW
by Angela MacKenzie - Staff Reporter
March 25, 2002
Investigators have executed a second search warrant in the case involving 50 women missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, but are remaining silent as to where and when.
RCMP Const. Cate Galliford, a member of the task force, said police are remaining tight-lipped to protect the case, which has led to two first-degree murder charges against Port Coquitlam farm owner Robert William Pickton.
"There are people who've got nothing to lose. We've got the potential of losing the investigation," said Vancouver Police Det. Scott Driemel.
Both Driemel and Galliford also cautioned the media against printing speculation.
"There is a lot of information out there that is not true," Galliford said.
However, neither would say which media reports may have been incorrect.
"The problem is that if we correct some information, we appear to be corroborating others," Driemel said.
Driemel said the ongoing file review and investigation into dozens of missing women is producing results, which investigators plan to share with the public in the near future.
The investigation at the farm is expected to take about a year, Driemel said, with police currently conducting a cursory search. He said it is still too early to say whether excavation work will be necessary.
Driemel said police are actively investigating new leads and tips, which often grow exponentially.
"The joint task force and police investigators must sift through continuing rumours, innuendo, unsubstantiated claims and people who make strong statements and then later change their mind," Galliford said.
"There are very gruesome stories out there. And the sad fact is, these are not unique stories. Not by a long shot. Police have made and continue to make decisions in this case. These decisions must be placed in the context of other suspects and information that police have at the time.
"Sometimes there are anywhere from 70 to 200 suspects with a history and a type of behaviour that deserves very, very close scrutiny."
Galliford said the investigation into the missing women is "forcing a light onto a part of our society that traditionally resides in the very dark shadows."