The RCMP is launching a special investigation into the women missing and murdered along Highway 16.
RCMP Superintendent Leon Van De Walle announced the investigation at the Highway of Tears Symposium at CN Centre, March 30-31. Van De Walle is a veteran investigator and heads up E Division major crimes unit.
We have eight skilled investigators and this will be their only focus, their only job, Van De Walle said. In different phases well bring in specialists in different areas.
The review will be based in Vancouver, although officers will continue to investigate along the Highway 16 corridor, Van De Walle said.
All the information gathered on the cases will be compiled into a database, allowing officers to compare cases easily. Modern forensic science will be applied to the older cases in hopes of finding new leads.
Science has come a very long way in crime investigation, Van De Walle said. But its still half science, half art form.
The art form side of investigations still relies heavily on the investigators skill and intuition, he explained.
E Divisions unsolved homicide unit, the first in Canada, is a leader in solving cold cases, Van De Walle said.
Ive worked with Scotland Yard, Ive worked with the FBI and Ive worked with the New York State Police and the RCMP are as good as any of them better in some ways, Van De Walle said. We are some of the best at cold case investigations.
RCMP investigators will be putting on four lectures for the FBI on their cold case techniques, he added.
These crimes are never closed. A new team of investigators may look into it with new eyes, Van De Walle said. I can tell you that any of the RCMP in this room take this very seriously. Ive investigated many, many homicides. I cant remember all the ones Ive solved, but the ones you cant solve stick with you.
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