Found Deceased Canada - Jacqueline McDermott, 22, car broke down on Hwy 97 C, between Merritt and Logan Lake, BC, 30 Sept 2022

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Because her keys were found with her vehicle, my impression is that she was at her vehicle (not on a trail) when something happened to her.

Did her vehicle break down as she was driving, then parked on the shoulder of the highway? Or, was her van parked on a pullout near the lake? If she was parked at a pullout, maybe she went for a hike and something happened when she returned to her vehicle. The timeline of sightings will help clear that up.

Pullout parking areas at Mamit Lake

1665029076853.png

There are several along the lake.

1665029139672.png

1665029157908.png
 
I would like to see confirmation that she collected her phone from the retreat. That would help understand her timeline in the 24 hours leading to her disappearance. Her phone would track to her last known location - which might have been Mamit Lake, BC. There's wifi in the area and she probably has a Bell wifi account (most of Ontario does), which would connect to local cell towers.

If she had car trouble on a BC highway, wouldn't she call or text someone?

When did her phone last connect to a cell phone tower? Where was her phone at that time.
 
Did she leave the retreat early? If so, why? She arrived. She left after a short time. Is that days, or hours?

Quoting the first comment in this thread:

"Police have learned that on September 30, 2022 Jacqueline had planned to attend a yoga retreat near Merritt but left after a short time."

1665030141598.png
 
Sept 30, she "planned to attend a retreat".
She left after a short time
Oct 1, morning, she was seen with a jerry can at her vehicle, heading 30 minutes North from Merritt (thriving community) to Logan Lake (thriving community with indoor toilets).

Google Map
 
Last edited:
otto said:
She had just driven by several gas stations in Merritt, and she was only travelling 30 minutes; 30 miles (50 km).

Was she seen filling up with gas using the jerry can, or she was seen in Merritt getting gas?

It doesn't make sense that she would be so low on gas that she needed to use the jerry can when she had just driven by gas stations.

View attachment 371161
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I agree. I'm trying to make sense of it too. Well, I know jerrycans can smell of gasoline once the gas has been put into the vehicle from the jerrycan so is it possible she went to get gas,come back to the van empty the jerrycan into the vehicle and then went on her way. By vehicle it would be quick to get the gas but walking would take perhaps doubletime. Then walking back to the van with a full jerrycan maybe even longer. So maybe she broke down afterwards and the first time around that she was stopped it was a low gas issue. Or someone sabatoutaged her van while she was gone and she couldn't move on? That is only if her van was in perfect condition before.
 
otto said:
Timeline ...

September 30 - leaves the retreat, drives 30 minutes to Merritt.
October 1, morning - adding gas, location unknown
October 1, morning - starts 30 minute, 30 mile drive to Logan Lake

20 minutes later, she is near Mamit Lake. This is mentioned upthread as the general location where her van was found. Her vehicle stops working. She is 9 miles from Logan Lake. She seems fit and healthy enough to jog or walk that distance in daylight, but she would lock her van.

My point is that she was not stranded. She wasn't in some desolate place where she had to pee in the woods rather than use the toilet (no more than 15 minutes away at any time). She also wasn't in a place where someone would need a jerry can. She would go to the gas station.

View attachment 371166

View attachment 371168
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I see your point and agree but then why would she use the jerrycan. See this is what is bothering me. I realize near town but there are stretches of road where its not busy. So are you saing that perhaps she knew someone in the area. Maybe.
 
5W's said:
I agree. I'm trying to make sense of it too. Well, I know jerrycans can smell of gasoline once the gas has been put into the vehicle from the jerrycan so is it possible she went to get gas,come back to the van empty the jerrycan into the vehicle and then went on her way. By vehicle it would be quick to get the gas but walking would take perhaps doubletime. Then walking back to the van with a full jerrycan maybe even longer. So maybe she broke down afterwards and the first time around that she was stopped it was a low gas issue. Or someone sabatoutaged her van while she was gone and she couldn't move on? That is only if her van was in perfect condition before.
Click to expand...
Tracking her cell phone, finding out when she arrived at Mamit Lake on the morning of October 1. That would rule out whether her van peetered out, or she pulled off to enjoy the morning by the lake.

Vehicle sabotage? Perhaps. Knowing whether she was parked on the shoulder or in the pull-out helps.

Why did she leave the retreat so quickly when it was obviously a destination on her Kitchener, Ontario to Merritt, BC Retreat, Logan Lake, Vancouver, San Fran in the Winter, road trip?

Where did she overnight on September 30?
 
One of the articles mentioned that several community members saw Jacqueline with her car.

A lone female, perhaps seemingly in distress, could attract weirdos? Equally, none of the witnesses stopped to ask if all ok or phoned in a possible need for assistance. As far as we know.
 
5W's said:
I see your point and agree but then why would she use the jerrycan. See this is what is bothering me. I realize near town but there are stretches of road where its not busy. So are you saing that perhaps she knew someone in the area. Maybe.
Click to expand...
I don't know what to make of it so far. However, she was within 15-30 minutes of "civilization" when she vanished from her van, leaving keys behind.

There are stretches along the 30 mile highway between Merritt and Logan Lake where there are fewer vehicles. Not out of the question to grab someone off the side of the road.

Without knowing whether her van was parked on the shoulder of the highway, or parked at a Mamit Lake pullout, hard to say why she would need a jerry can - unless she was trouble shooting re-starting the van?

Sounds like the 22 year-old lived Van Life from Kitchener, Ontario to Merritt, BC, van breakdown near Mamit Lake, BC. As a tattoo artist, she was meeting clients in Vancouver. She planned to attend a retreat in Merritt on the way, but left after a short time. I think that means she did not attend the retreat. Perhaps she did not hand her phone over to the retreat organizers. That was her lifeline to daily texts and calls with her mom.

The following day her vehicle broke down near a lake. She vanished, leaving everything including the keys behind. Cell phone unknown.

This is how far she travelled solo van like until she vanished on a BC highway.

1665038410889.png
 
Seni said:
One of the articles mentioned that several community members saw Jacqueline with her car.

A lone female, perhaps seemingly in distress, could attract weirdos? Equally, none of the witnesses stopped to ask if all ok or phoned in a possible need for assistance. As far as we know.
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What a shame - that no one stopped to ask whether the 22 year old and her van needed help, and then she vanished off the side of the highway.
 
BC has some problematic serial killers. Clifford Olsen, Cody, Prince George, and others. At this time, it looks like she might have been abducted from her vehicle during the day between the towns of Merritt and Logan Lake.

annpats said:
Oh, I think someone DID stop....and that's the reason she's gone.
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But ... where?

She is not the first person to vanish from the area, but she was vulnerable ... on the side of the highway in that area with a broken vehicle. Almost sounds like Belanglo Forest wrong place, wrong time.

How many people have gone missing in that area in the last 6-10 years?
 
To me its almost unimaginable that she would be abducted in broad dalight. Especially in today's day and age. Dashcam's are everywhere. I get it that perhaps there is no live cam by the BC highways department on that stretch perhaps but still. If she left everything in her vehicle, especially her keys I am going to assume her cellphone also so which may mean it was quick and it was forced, maybe at gunpoint/knifepoint. Was it a stolen car? License plate stolen? Disguised individual? It had to be surprised because I'm sure if the individual was disguised she would make sure she gets seen by others. How many cars/vehicles passed by during the time locals saw her with the jerrycan and the time she vanished? I wonder if LE has this information already. Could it be someone on an ATV on the other side of the bushes?Not to be seen? How?
 
She has solar panels on top of her van. It shows it on her instagram page. That would mean she would have the ability to charge her phone I think. Maybe I'm wrong because I don't know anything of how solar panels work. Does the engine have to work for the electricity to be produced so her phone can be charged? Maybe because her van wasn't working her solar panels couldn' charge her phone and her phone was uncharged so she couldn't phone for help?
 
5W's said:
To me its almost unimaginable that she would be abducted in broad dalight. Especially in today's day and age. Dashcam's are everywhere. I get it that perhaps there is no live cam by the BC highways department on that stretch perhaps but still. If she left everything in her vehicle, especially her keys I am going to assume her cellphone also so which may mean it was quick and it was forced, maybe at gunpoint/knifepoint. Was it a stolen car? License plate stolen? Disguised individual? It had to be surprised because I'm sure if the individual was disguised she would make sure she gets seen by others. How many cars/vehicles passed by during the time locals saw her with the jerrycan and the time she vanished? I wonder if LE has this information already. Could it be someone on an ATV on the other side of the bushes?Not to be seen? How?
Click to expand...

A large truck or van could quite easily pull up at the side of her car, blocking the view of other cars from the road. East abduction. No-one would see.

If she was offered a ride to the nearest town, (even if it was from someone nefarious pretending to be nice) I do think she would have taken her keys with her first....
 
I just went through all the comments on the allowed IG page to see if any additional "official" info is available and found the below posted by the admin on Oct 4th. So we have confirmation that the van was indeed broken down (I'm guessing Jaqui was hoping it just needed more gas). I don't know why they wouldn't publicly share the exact location though -- don't want amateurs messing up the scene?

Interestingly, they are not responding to questions about her phone (whether it was left behind).

www.instagram.com/p/CjS5w4VLBOq/

findjaquimcdermott @[XXXXXX] the van was found on the highway stretch noted. The specific location is not currently being publicly shared. The van was broken down.​

 
I somehow missed the text in the graphic below. It states she left the retreat Friday "evening". The sun sets around 6:30 in Merritt, BC so it's likely it was dark or getting dark when she stopped on the side of the road. If she was experiencing mechanical issues, it would make sense to hunker down for the night and wait until morning to troubleshoot.

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They've also created a Find Jaqui Facebook group now: Log into Facebook
 
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