nine b.c. women

No clues in B.C.'s Highway of Tears killings
March 31, 2006

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. (CP) - The cries of grieving families must be heard to help stop the killings on the so-called Highway of Tears in northern B.C., politicians, police and aboriginals said Friday.

"Justice is what I want," said Audrey Auger, whose daughter Aielah was the most recent victim.

Nine women - eight aboriginal - have been murdered or are missing since 1990 from communities that dot the largely remote Highway 16 corridor that stretches almost 750 kilometres from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

At 14, Aielah Saric-Auger was also the youngest of the victims. Her body was found in February near the highway outside of Prince George.

"What should come out of this is people's cries be heard," Auger said as a two-day conference examining what can be done wrapped up.

The conference heard heartwrenching stories of grief from families who have suffered for years the pain of not knowing what happened to their children.

It ended with aboriginal leaders vowing to form a Highway of Tears legacy group that will work towards improving emergency readiness and community support skills.

Some suggested the number of missing or murdered is closer to 35 people.

Police have yet to make an arrest in one of the murders or disappearances. They say they are looking at the possibility a serial killer is on the loose, but don't have enough evidence to confirm that scenario.

The conference made no official call for increased police resources, but aboriginals are expecting more help from authorities, said Dan George, the conference co-chairman.

"You talk to people in the hall there and they say there's over 40, 50 people who have gone missing over the past number of decades on this highway," he said. "If that doesn't warrant a task force it begs the question, 'Why not?"'

George said he still isn't certain if police are hunting one serial killer or numerous killers.

"Myself, as a husband, as a father of two teenage daughters, if there is 10, 20 killers out there, if there's one killer, I'm concerned," he said.

Among the missing or dead women along the highway since 1990 are Saric-Auger, 14, Tamara Chipman, 22, Lana Derrick, 19, Ramona Wilson, 15, Delphine Nikal, 15, Roxanna Thiara, 15, Aleisha Germaine, 15, and Nicole Hoar, 25. Only Hoar, who has been missing for four years, is non-native.

Monica Ignas was 15 when she disappeared from the highway in December 1974 and 27-year-old Alberta Williams vanished on Aug. 27, 1989.

Cecilia Anne Nikal, a cousin of Delphine Nikal, has been missing since 1989.

RCMP Sgt. John Ward said the Mounties listened intently to the concerns raised at the conference by the families and the aboriginal community.

Some family members said their early reports about missing children didn't appear to be taken seriously by the RCMP, but others said the police were extremely diligent and helpful.

"We understand where they are coming from," said Ward. "We're going to keep trying at becoming better at communicating."

Top B.C. Mounties, including Supt. Leon Van De Walle, the officer in charge of major crimes for British Columbia, attended the symposium.

The Mounties participated Friday in informal workshops with aboriginal groups that included tribal leaders and family members who lost children or relatives on the highway.

Federal NDP MP Nathan Cullen said the Mounties have a lot of work to do when it comes to rebuilding trust with aboriginals who live along Highway 16.

He said there is a concern the crimes were not taken seriously because they involved aboriginals, especially aboriginal women.

"If this were taking place in the Ottawa Valley or taking place in Toronto, and these were not native women, would the reaction be the same?" he said. "The reaction would be obviously different."

Nathan, who represents the Skeena riding that includes much of the Highway of Tears communities, said he was the only federal MP to attend the conference.

B.C. NDP MLA Jagrup Brar suggested the aboriginal community launch a pilot project to develop a formal list of all the people who have gone missing or have been murdered along the Highway of Tears.

He also suggested posting a reward for information on the killings and disappearances.

The B.C. government contributed $50,000 to fund aboriginal-led projects that result from the conference.

"This is without question the most powerful gathering that I have ever been at," said Stan Hagen, B.C. children and family development minister.

"The testimony of the families: heartwrenching."