Vancouver police have employed a groundbreaking forensic technique developed in the United States to trace the final days of a woman whose body was discovered off Spanish Banks Beach nearly four years ago.
On the evening of September 29, 2022, a tugboat crew found the still-unidentified woman floating in the waters off Spanish Banks in the West Point Grey neighbourhood. She was located near an inflatable kayak and had candy, insulin, and a backpack with her, but no identification.
The crew brought her body to the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, and the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) opened a missing persons investigation. Despite extensive efforts, including searches across North America and through Interpol, no missing person report has matched the woman's description, according to VPD Constable Darren Wong.
A significant breakthrough came when VPD Sergeant Anton Schamberger learned that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection laboratory in Chicago could analyze pollen spores on clothing to determine where a person may have recently spent time. Schamberger sent the woman's backpack and sweater to the lab for testing, and the VPD received the results last year.
"The findings indicated that the pollen grains and fern spores on the woman's sweater suggested that it had recent exposure to an urban environment within the Pacific Northwest, plausibly Seattle or Portland," said Wong.
The tests also showed a near total absence of pollen grains or fern spores from the Vancouver area where she was found, suggesting she was not from Vancouver and instead spent her last days in the Seattle or Portland areas. With this new evidence, the VPD is renewing its appeal for help identifying the woman, who is believed to be in her 30s and of African descent.
It is possible she was never reported missing, but Wong said investigators "remain confident that someone, somewhere is looking for her." Police have released an updated video detailing the pollen findings, an interview with the tugboat captain, and a renewed call for information. The video was presented at a news conference at nearby Locarno Beach on Monday.
VPD officers plan to travel to Seattle to further the investigation and will hold a news conference on Tuesday with officers from the Seattle Police Department and Portland Police Bureau. "The goal of this initiative is to trigger memories, generate new leads, and ultimately identify the woman so her family can be notified," said Wong.
Investigators hope the video and cross-border appeal will lead to someone recognizing her, even if she was not from the region or North America. "This case has already drawn considerable attention due to its complexity and the mystery surrounding the woman's identity," Wong added.
Police are inviting anyone to watch the video and share it on social media. Anyone with information about the missing person case can email thekayaker@vdp.ca or call 604-717-0619.
