500 native women who have disappeared or been murdered in the last 20 years

[dotr]

June 4 2019 rbbm.
COLD CASE EXPERT: MMIWG death tally likely double

MMIWG: A criminology professor has warned that the real number of murdered Indigenous women and girls could be double official estimates.

The killer gambled.

And the gamble paid off.

The last time anyone saw Jane Bernard, 43, and Doreen Hardy, 18, alive was Aug. 27, 1966.

Bernard and Hardy were discovered days later dead outside Thunder Bay.

They had been strangled to death.

Their chauffeur to oblivion was described as a stocky white man in his 20s, driving a late-model Pontiac or Oldsmobile.

Witnesses said he was maybe 5’8″, light brown hair, glasses."

"In the wake of the MMIWG report detailing decades of murder, tears, indifference and heartache, one expert on cold cases estimates the true number of dead could be double the 3,500 semi-official total.

That’s a staggering 7,000 victims.

Using information from a Murder Accountability Project study for the U.S. Department of the Interior (which oversees Indigenous affairs in America,) Michael Arntfield revealed that the number of homicides was grossly underreported.

The full numbers are at murderdata.org.

“If you’re using the U.S. as a proxy, what does the data say?” the University of Western Ontario criminology professor told The Toronto Sun.

“How big is the problem? It’s far worse [the number of victims] than we previously thought.”

There are a slew of reasons for the missed murders — or concealed murders as Arntfield calls them.
Many murders of Indigenous people occur in rural areas where medical and police expertise is light on the ground.

The pediatrician may be the coroner. The cops are fine at ticketing people, not so much at homicide probes.

Arntfield also offers a more chilling proposal: There are serial killers hunting Indigenous women.

“And they’re getting away with it because no one is looking for them,” Arntfield said, adding that the Billings Gazette linked the deaths of three Indigenous women to a serial killer.


If Arntfield is right — and I have no reason to believe he isn’t — these hidden homicides may be a “microcosm” of a “catastrophic” horror.

“It’s not just the police system in rural areas, the coroner system in Canada and the U.S. is deeply flawed,” he said, adding that slipshod record keeping by coroners and the poor curation of homicide data has exacerbated the problem."

 

[dotr]

I can't access all the US/CAN - msm because I live in the EU, but if you ask me about the First Nation, I feel very ashamed that after all the wrongs.. this still has gained so little attention. And imo Trudeau is not making it any better.!
It would please me, if some member can post an update on this.. aweful findings.

Missing and murdered: Canada's genocide cover-up

 

[otto]

I may be naive and uninformed, but I have tried to pay attention to why there is a higher percentage of indigenous women who are missing and murdered.

In my opinion, hitchhiking plays a role in the missing and murdered, regardless of nationality or gender. The highway of tears includes indigenous and non-indigenous victims, and the main suspect is a migrant worker from the USA who has since died. He didn't care about the nationality of the victims. They were hitch hikers who were easy victims.

Another factor in higher number of victims is cultural, where indigenous women and children are victims of indigenous men and women. Residential schools are held responsible for the breakdown of indigenous families for multiple generations.

Here are the very common stories of unsolved missing and presumed murdered indigenous and non-indigenous woman:

"The 20-year-old mother from the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta vanished almost five years ago, after getting into an unknown man's vehicle in Nisku, near Edmonton. She was staying in the area for a few days after arriving from Fort McMurray with her infant son and a female friend."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/...-murder-do-you-recognize-this-voice-1.3102635

"Madison or Maddy as her friends and family call her attended a party at Hogsback lake- about 25 kilometres south of Vanderhoof, which is not far from Highway 16 (Highway of Tears).​

Although, Maddy would have known the partygoers, a number of people showed up later in the night. Some of the party goers would be known to Maddy and her friends and some would not. While most people had left Hogsback Lake when the party ended, Maddy stayed behind in her tent."​

Crime Stoppers: Mysterious disappearance of Madison Scott

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/brit...deo-search-disappearance-vanderhoof-1.3605064

 

[otto]

Here are the stats for violent crime against women and girls in Canada. My next question would be about the populations in these areas.

"According to Statistics Canada ... violent crime against young women and girls were highest in Northern Saskatchewan in 2017 at nearly 14 thousand per 100 thousand populations. Manitoba was next at about nine thousand. These rates were five to six times higher than in their respective southern regions.

... violent crimes against young females were most often perpetrated by an intimate partner, a casual acquaintance, or a family member. Girls younger than 12 were most commonly victimized by a family member while women aged 18 to 24 were most commonly victimized by an intimate partner. Young female victims most often experienced sexual violence while adult victims most often experiences physical violence."​

https://www.cjwwradio.com/2019/07/04/violence-against-girls-and-young-women/

 

[otto]

Again, given the higher rates of violence against women and girls in Northern Canada, the question is whether there is a correlation between Northern victims and indigenous populations.

"The rate of violent crime against women and girls in Canada’s North is three times as high as the rates in the rest of the country. ...

Women and girls between the ages of 18 and 24 in the North were the most likely to be victims of violent crime. ...

Women under the age of 24 also made up a larger proportion of homicide victims than their counterparts in the rest of the country. Thirty-one per cent of homicide victims in the North were women and girls, while the percentage for the rest of the country was 24 per cent. ...

Roughly 70 per cent of the violent crime reports in both the North and the rest of the country result in charges."
​

July 4, 2019
Rates of violent crime against women in the North triple those in rest of Canada

 

[worldwatcher]

Again, given the higher rates of violence against women and girls in Northern Canada, the question is whether there is a correlation between Northern victims and indigenous populations.

"The rate of violent crime against women and girls in Canada’s North is three times as high as the rates in the rest of the country. ...

Women and girls between the ages of 18 and 24 in the North were the most likely to be victims of violent crime. ...

Women under the age of 24 also made up a larger proportion of homicide victims than their counterparts in the rest of the country. Thirty-one per cent of homicide victims in the North were women and girls, while the percentage for the rest of the country was 24 per cent. ...

Roughly 70 per cent of the violent crime reports in both the North and the rest of the country result in charges."
​

July 4, 2019
Rates of violent crime against women in the North triple those in rest of Canada

Thank you both for your reply's @dotr and @otto

But I do think that the cause of these high crimes is related to poverty and their low future perspective.
Also a lot of pollution on some rez like uranium mining, oil spills.

It is sad, that a lot of things are ignored,just to say it bold and coming from my point of view.

 

[otto]

Thank you both for your reply's @dotr and @otto

But I do think that the cause of these high crimes is related to poverty and their low future perspective.
Also a lot of pollution on some rez like uranium mining, oil spills.

It is sad, that a lot of things are ignored,just to say it bold and coming from my point of view.

I'll do my best to answer this, but please realize that it is an emotionally charged discussion for some people, and it's easy to make a misstep. I apologize in advance if this seems simplistic or if I make a misstep.

Oil spills in Canada are cleaned up and are not an issue. I've never heard of uranium being an issue. A real issue is clean water and plumbing. I don't know all of the different problems in different parts of the country, and don't understand why rural wells and septic fields don't resolve the plumbing issues.

The Indigenous people are going to make a bid next week to buy 51% of the pipeline in Western Canada. Clearly money is not the problem. The pipeline is being twinned and will export oil off the West Coast to Asia. It's a multi-billion dollar bid.

The missing and murdered girls and women has been discussed by Canadian governments for a long time. Inquiries and money have not led to a solution. The previous government respected that the indigenous people wanted autonomy over how money was spent to solve the problem, so millions were given directly to the indigenous people to work towards a solution. When the money was spent, there were no answers and no change.

The Trudeau government has tried to make change. There has been another inquiry. I don't think the answers are different. The only real difference is to recognize that the breakdown of indigenous families could be a result of residential schools.

Residential schools started and stopped at different times in different parts of the country. My understanding is that when Indigenous children were educated in residential schools, the family structure was disrupted. Language, culture and spiritual beliefs were not passed from elders to the next generations. This contributed to alcoholism, drugs, distrust of the Canadian government and institutions, increased violence and poverty. Indigenous people's have access to indigenous finances, and poverty depends on the tribe. Some are very wealthy, some not, and some have issues with financial accountability. As a group, they are buying the Canadian Pipeline.

I think the idea is that settlers created residential schools, children were separated from their culture, the family unit was broken, that led to social issues, and the incidence of abused, missing and murdered indigenous women and children increased in Canada, especially Northern Canada. This is why colonialism is a big topic in Canada.

Bottom line, this is not a pollution problem, but rather a social problem.

 

[otto]

I think there's a reason why statistics for violence against missing and murdered women have been released by the government during the missing and murdered indigenous females discussion. Essentially, the implication is that the problem is worse in Northern Canada, especially where there are larger indigenous populations. Arrest rates are no different for Northern and other regions of Canada - meaning arrests for indigenous region murders are consistent with arrests in the country.

This turns the focus for missing and murdered indigenous females to a regional social and cultural issue. Residential schools have been identified as a contributing factor.

If more money is needed, the indigenous community has billions of dollars to build schools, houses with indoor plumbing, hospitals, airports, swimming pools, athletic facilities, hotels and to ensure that everyone lives on fertile land. Maybe they prefer 51% of a pipeline.

 

[otto]

Genocide of indigenous people and missing or murdered girls and women was allegedly caused by the residential school system - an historic problem that impacted several generations.

How does one solve that problem without building local communities based on local culture, language, foods, heritage and spiritual beliefs? That needs money, and there are billions available. Why is it not a priority for indigenous populations to reduce abuse of indigenous women and children through local education, housing, health care and social change?

 

[tarabull]

Podcast explores unsolved murders of three teens in Victoria more than 30 years ago

Sweethearts, the sixth season of Laura Palmer’s Island Crime podcast, looks at the lives and deaths of the three girls, and argues the cases could be connected

www.timescolonist.com

 

[worldwatcher]

Police find DNA of another 12 women at self-confessed killer’s apartment in Winnipeg
May 09, 2024

DNA belonging to Ashlee Shingoose was found in Jeremy Skibicki's apartment. She has been missing since 2022. Photo: Winnipeg police.

---

Warning: This story contains disturbing details. Please read with care.

---

"The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed the DNA of four Indigenous women inside the home of their self-confessed killer, a court heard Thursday, along with the DNA profiles of an additional 12 women.
Police forensic identification officer Jan de Vries said he sent clothing, jewelry and blood stains from the apartment of Jeremy Skibicki for testing in May 2022 that positively identified Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran and Rebecca Contois, three First Nations women who were slain in the spring of 2022.
The testing also confirmed the presence of a fourth victim known as Buffalo Woman, de Vries said of the Indigenous victim police have been unable to identify.... "

Police find DNA of another 12 women at self-confessed killer’s apartment in Winnipeg

 

[tarabull]

Lighting The Way Home has Missing People listed by Provinces - Canada

[ame="[URL]http://www.websleuths.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=330[/URL]"]Canada - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

Here is a respected blog that might help.

Finding the names of all the missing in Canada is a tough job. While we do compile stats on missing children, there is no such references for the missing women.

Private Site

THE WOMEN:
1971
HELEN BETTY OSBORNE, aged 19 was abducted by four men and brutally murdered near The Pas, Manitoba, on November 13, 1971. Although four men participated in her rape and murder, only one man was convicted 17 years later and served five years of a life sentence
COLLEEN SHOOK, of Burnaby, BC, stabbed to death while getting off a bus. UNSOLVED
1975
JUDY DICK, aged 14 of BC repeatedly stabbed in heart and stomach in BC. 27 years later an Ontario man has been charged wtih her murder.
CHARLENE CATHOLIQUE, aged 15. DOB June 23, 1975. .Missing since July 18, 1990 from Snowdrift, Northwest Territories Canada., where she attended a conference. UNSOLVED.
1980
ANN RUBY THRELFELL, 24, of Vancouver, BC, strangled to death, Jan. 12, 1980.UNSOLVED
JACKALEEN PATRICIA DYCK, aged 23 years old, stabbed 28 times as her two young children slept in the next room, in her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on October 3, 1980. UNSOLVED
1981
MARY JANE SERLOIN, aged 35, missing on December 23, 1981.
Mary Jane’s nude body was found in in Lethbridge, Alberta on December 25, 1981.
John Wayne Crawford was convicted of her murder. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, and was released in 1989. He immediately went on another murder spree rapping, torturing and killing at least three other young first Nations women.
1983
REBECCA GUNO, aged 23, drug addicted prostitute disappeared from downtown eastside Vancouver June 23, 1983. Reported missing June 25, 1983. UNSOLVED
MARIE EDITH BANKS, strangled on August 15, 1983, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. UNSOLVED
1984
YVONNE MARLENE ABIGOSIS, aged 23.. born November 23d, 1957, last seen on January 1st, 1984 and reported missing on May 22nd, 2002. UNSOLVED
CONSTANCE LYNNE CAMERON, strangled August 3, 1984 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Constance’s body was found face down with her arms stretched over her head. A black tank top, which she had been wearing, was rolled up to her neck suggesting that her body had been dragged to this location.UNSOLVED
1985
UNIDENTIFIED first nations girl between 14 – 16, whose skull was found in Stanley Park(Vancouver)near Beaver Lake, July 17, 1990. It is believed she was killed sometime between 1985 and 1990. UNSOLVED
RACHEL TURLEY, 20, found Oct. 28, 1985, beaten and strangled . in Vancouver .UNSOLVED
1986
CHANTAL MARIE VENNE, 21, in Esquimalt, BC, was found strangled with the belt of her coat and her hands bound. with the belt of her coat and her hands bound. Was tortured, sexually assaulted and her partly clad body dumped in an industrial area on Feb. 25, 1986.UNSOLVED
DONNA ROSE KISS, aged 25, of BC on Aug. 2, 1986. She was strangled with a tie and her body was dumped UNSOLVED
1987
BERNADETTE LECLAIR, raped and murdered in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1987. A man was finally arrested in July, 2000, but a trial has not yet been had. UNSOLVED
DONNA CHARLIE,from Fort Ware, BC. raped and murdered at the Sportsman Hotel in Prince George BC in 1987. UNSOLVED
DONNA TEBBENHAM, raped and murdered in Thunder Bay in 1987. A man was finally arrested in July, 2000, but a trial has not yet been had. UNSOLVED
NAOMI LEIGH DESJARLAIS was found murdered in Regina in 1987. UNSOLVED
CAROL RUBY DAVIS, aged 29, whose partly nude body was dumped in the bush near Wiggins Ave. in Burnaby, BC, June 20, 1987. She was the mother of two and a known drug user.She had been stabbed to death. UNSOLVED
1988
ROSE MINNIE PETERS, 28, of Vancouver, BC strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted April 3, 1988. UNSOLVED
TERESSA WILLIAMS, aged 16. Teressa is a know drug user and sex trade worker in the downtown east side Vancouver. She was last seen in July 1988 and reported missing in March 1999. UNSOLVED
LISA MARIE GAVIN, 21, of Vancouver, BC, beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled before being dumped in a lane behind Knight Rd. Aug. 13/88. UNSOLVED
GEORGETTE FLINT, aged 19. Her her half-naked decomposed body was found in September 1988 in Alberta
ALBERTA WILLIAMS, aged 24, found murdered Sept. 25, 1988. in BC
She had been reported missing a month earlier. UNSOLVED
1989
CATHERINE MARY DAIGNAULT , aged 40,of Vancouver, found beaten to death at a Maple Ridge construction site,May 31, 1989. UNSOLVED
FRANCES ANN GRANT, 33, of Vancouver, whose nude body was found dumped behind a house June , 1989. UNSOLVED
WENDY POOLE, aged 26, of Vancouver, found beaten to death Jan. 26, 1989 on the second floor of a Downtown Eastside housing co-op. She was the mother of one and was pregnant with her second child. A man arrested in connection with her death was later acquitted. UNSOLVED
1990
CHARLENE KERR, 29, of Vancouver, BC. discovered in a pool of blood in a Gastown Hotel. She was a drug addicted prostitute and is believed to have been killed during a robbery in 1990. UNSOLVED
JANE LOUISE SUTHERLAND, a Cree teenager,She’d been strangled and her skull crushed with repeated blows from a blunt instrument in Ottawa area in 1990. UNSOLVED
BONNIE KATE WHALAN, 32, of Vancouver BC whose remains were found near the Seymour River in North Vancouver, April 2, 1990. UNSOLVED
CHERI LYNN SMITH, aged 18, of Victoria, BC, who had been a peer counsellor and a B-plus student in Victoria until she met her teenage boyfriend who later became her pimp. She disappeared in June 1990.Her badly decomposed body was found dumped in bushed in a Saanich regional park, Sept. 9, 1990.She was beaten to death. Police believe her murder is linked to the the murders of three other prostitutes..UNSOLVED
NANCY JANE BOB, In August 1990,
Trevor Rodney Peters, who pleaded guilty to murder and received a life sentence
KIMBERLEY GALLUP, 18, of Victoria, BC, was working as a prostitute She was found at 4 a.m. Nov.21,1990 in a room at the Colony Motor Inn, strangled.UNSOLVED
1991
MELISSA NICHOLSON, 17, found slain beside a gravel road at Shawnigan lake, BC, June 11, 1991. UNSOLVED
GLENDA MORRISSEAU, aged 19. Glenda, a student at R.B. Russell School, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Last seen alive during the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 17, 1991 Glenda’s partially naked and battered body was discovered on Wednesday, August 7, 1991, in a St. Boniface industrial area, about five kilometers from where she was last seen. UNSOLVED
CRYSTAL WRIGHT, aged 19, of Kelowna, BC, found dead at the Abbott Villa Inn, Sept. 26,1991. The man who killed her turned himself in at the police station claiming he was drunk at the time. He got 2 1/2 years in jail. She was seven months pregnant.
SHIRLEY LONETHUNDER originally from White Bear First Nation in southeast Saskatchewan.Disappeared in 1991 UNSOLVED
BERNADINE STANDINGREADY, 26, of Vancouver, BC, found murdered Nov. 12, 1991. UNSOLVED
1992
CHERYL-ANNE JOE, 26, murdered and sexually mutilated, Jan 20, 1992 A Vancouver man charged with her murder.. UNSOLVED
CRYSTA LYNN DAVID, 21, found March 25, 1992, smothered to death in her basement suite in New Westminster, BC. UNSOLVED
PATRICIA PENDLETON, 29, of Mission, BC, stabbed 21 times in the throat and 5 times in the torso with two separate knives in June /92;There was no evidence of sexual activity, but the wounds were consistent with torture. Her skull had been fractured by one or more blows. Scott Clifford Aune, 29, also of Mission was charged with second degree murder in the vicious killing, but was found not guilty. UNSOLVED

see link for rest of Blogger Hazel's research.

Snipped from above link....
...CHERI LYNN SMITH, aged 18, of Victoria, BC, who had been a peer counsellor and a B-plus student in Victoria until she met her teenage boyfriend who later became her pimp. She disappeared in June 1990.Her badly decomposed body was found dumped in bushed in a Saanich regional park, Sept. 9, 1990.She was beaten to death. Police believe her murder is linked to the the murders of three other prostitutes..UNSOLVED

June 5, 2025

Murdered teen's body found 35 years ago; Saanich police say case still open

In a Facebook post, Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers said Smith “ran away from her tight-knit, middle-class Regina family with a boy she thought she was in love with and ended up as a sex worker in Victoria”

www.timescolonist.com