Welcome to Vancouver, a Beautiful descent. Your host Mark is a writer and investigative journalist who has spent years researching the unsolved crimes, missing persons and cold cases along the West Coast of Canada. In this podcast, we'll be diving deep into one of Vancouver's most vibrant years, 1995, a cultural peak where the city pulsed with life, entertainment, and opportunity.
Beneath that beauty lay a much darker reality, one that too many people were unaware of. Our story today starts with that year of excitement and ends in the quiet, haunting mystery of Mission Jane Doe, a woman whose remains were found in 1995 just outside of Vancouver. Her skull, discovered in Mission, BC, was later tied to the horrific crimes of one of Canada's most notorious serial killers, Robert Picton.
Though her identity remains unknown to this day, her story is a stark reminder of the unsolved disappearances that plagued Vancouver in the late 90s. This podcast is dedicated to telling these forgotten stories, stories of the women whose lives were cut tragically short and whose families may never have had a chance to say goodbye.
As we uncover the mystery of Mission Jane Doe, I hope to shed light not only on the horrors of the past, but also to bring empathy and understanding to the victims who were lost in Vancouver's underbelly. 1995 was a year of vibrant energy in Vancouver, a time when the city buzzed with entertainment, sports and cultural movements that defied an era.
It was a time of pagers and arcades and the rise of grunge music that echoed through the streets, bringing together a community of dreamers and thrill seekers. Downtown Vancouver nightlife was alive, from the flashing lights of the Commodore Ballroom to the pack stands of BC Place, where the city, sports and teams reigned supreme. It was a city on a high, driven by Canuck fever. As the team surged through the NHL, basketball and soccer made
their mark. Vancouver Writes came together at Nat Bailey Stadium for baseball games, and the City Music scene exploded with live performances that would be remembered for years to come. Whatever it was, cheering at a game or watching a local band or catching the latest movie, 1995 Vancouver was a year of unforgettable moments. Let me take you back to a time when Vancouver had an entirely different vibe. For me, this was Vancouver's peak. It was a golden era.
And no, wasn't only wasn't Just because I was in my early 20s growing up in the city. Born in the 70s at Grace Hospital, I watched it morph from a quiet industrial town into something larger. There was something electric about the mid 90s, a special energy that filled the air. I lived in a one bedroom apartment at the White Tower on Granville and 12th. The rent a mere $600 a month, completely different from today's prices.
Vancouver had this effortless mix of laid back West Coast charm, a fresh unstoppable optimism. It felt like anything was possible. Summers were a dream. I loved rollerblading around the sea wall, basking in the ocean breeze, or head into the UBC Forest reserve for mountain biking. Vancouver summers meant Sunset Kits Beach, Spanish Banks and even Wreck Beach. The city was a perfect playground, blending urban life with nature.
Even when the rain came, which often did, I found comfort in the cozy, tucked away coffee shops. I'd grab a large mug of coffee and a bagel, people watching as a city rhythm pulsed around me. There was a tangible energy in the air, a beat you could feel. The nightlife. What about the nights? Unforgettable. The nightlife scene in Vancouver in 1995 was legendary. Kit's Pub and the Big Bamboo on Broadway were my regular spots. We partied until 3:00 AM without a care in the world.
I didn't even think about something going wrong. That just wasn't on my radar. But back then, Vancouver still had an edge. The Granville St. strip clubs added a certain grittiness to the city's soul. In fact, in the early 90s, Vancouver had earned its reputation as the stripper capital of the world. But by the late 90s and early 2000, many had closed their doors, forever altering the landscape.
Places like the Penthouse, one of Vancouver's most iconic strip club, remained a fixture for decades. Granville's Movie Land Arcade, known for its pinball machines and adult entertainment, these crusty little booths in the back, was a cultural dinosaur until its closure in 2021, a casualty of the pandemic. These venues were more than just businesses, they were part of the gritty, vibrant fabric of the city. Hollywood North in 1995 was a pivotal year for Vancouver's rise.
As Hollywood N the city became a hot bed for film production. I was fortunate to be part of it. I worked as an extra, studying, acting, even doing stunt work. I was on the set for shows that would become cultural icons, The X-Files, Stargates, The Outer Limit. I was cast a lot as a uniform cop. I worked on Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx was a massive hit in 1995. The film industry brought high paying jobs and it was thrilling to see our city featured on the
big screen. The debut of the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1995, their first game at General Motors Place, was electric. It was thrilling to see Michael Jordan coming to Vancouver to play the Grizzlies and it felt it felt like the city truly arrived on the world stage. For a brief moment, it felt like anything was possible. But for all its beauty and excitement, 1995 had its shadows. Vancouver had the highest crime rate of any city in Canada that year.
The city felt like it was teetering on the edge. The Downtown East Side was a rough place, plagued by addiction, poverty and violence. But it was here, in the shadows of Vancouver's underbelly, that women began to disappear. Nearly 40 by the end of the decade, I vividly remember 0 media surrounding the discovery of three murdered women.
Tracea Loggity, Tammy Pipe Victoria Yonkers Found in the Fraser Valley and abducted, taken from the Downtown East Side The Downtown East Side women were going missing in whispers of dangers echoed through the street. In September of that year, a brutal murder of a 28 year old of Chantelle Gelade, a transgender woman, sent shock waves through the city. The violence was stark and raw, and a sobering reminder of the dangers that lurked in the city
shadow. And then there was Terry Driver, the Abbotsford killer who terrorized the city after the murder of a 16 year old, Tanya Smith. His haunting phone calls and letters to the police created a collective fear his his capture brought some relief, but the scars of that year lingered. Vancouver started to change. The carefree, vibrant energy was still there, but it tinged with
something darker and more dangerous. 1995 was a turning point for Vancouver, a year filled with beauty and excitement and possibility, but also a time when the city's edges began to fray. Looking back, Vancouver in the mid 90s will always hold a special place in my heart.
It was an experience that shaped me, a time when the city was alive with potential, but also a place where darkness and light intertwined, leaving an indelible mark on everyone who lived through it. This series will take a deep dive into Vancouver's transformation from a vibrant, opportunity filled West Coast city in the 1990s to its current state, now facing a severe crisis of poverty, addiction and social unrest coincided with the emergence of organized crime,
drug activity, and an underworld fueled by drugs and fast money. This series will trace roots of these issues, showing how the unchecked growth of crime in the 1990s laid a foundation for the challenges the city faces today. We'll explore how Vancouver became a haven for drug cartels, money laundering, and gang violence, while outwardly presenting itself as a prosperous and booming metropolis.
And of these two realities, Vancouver scenic beauty and opportunity versus its dark underbelly of crime and addiction will be a central theme. This will include a close look of how the city's organized crime syndicates grew and thrived in how authority struggled to contain criminal networks that were deeply
entrenched by the early 2000s. Through the series, we'll also uncover the social and economic factors that driven Vancouver to its current state, where it's now known as a fentanyl capital of the world. We will investigate the rise of the opiate crisis, homelessness and systemic poverty that has made these two problems so difficult to solve.
The narrative will take listeners from the gritty streets of the Downtown East Side in the 1990s, where the seeds of these issues were sown, to present day Vancouver, where the crisis has reached unprecedent levels. Ultimately, this series will connect the dots between Vancouver's glamorous rise. Ultimately, this series will connect the dots between Vancouver's glamorous rise and the social decay lurking beneath the surface.
We'll examine the circumstance of decisions that shaped the city's destiny, offering a comprehensive look of how the place known for its beauty and promise have come to face some of the most pressing social challenges of our time. Something darker already taken root, Something no one saw coming that lost control. But where did it all begin? We unravel a mystery that goes back decades.
So many things have changed since the opening of GM Place in 1995. When Vancouver was a city on the rise, major changes were taking place that would shape its future. One of the biggest milestones was the opening of GM Place, now Rogers Arena. 160 million dollar privately funded arena that became the new home for both the Vancouver Canucks and the Vancouver Grizzlies.
The first event at GM Place was a sold out Bryant Adams concert were 16,000 fans packed the arena to see the local star kick off a new era for the city. The 1995 and 96 season was a significant one of Vancouver sports where the Canucks were joined by the newly established Vancouver Grizzly NBA team.
The Grizzlies lineup featured players like Greg Anthony, Big Country, Reeves and Brian Scott. Tickets to a Grizzly game was priced at $50.00 for the lower bowl, giving Vancouver fans our first taste of NBA professional basketball. But on the ice, the Vancouver Canucks were led by captain Trevor Linden. With the roster included, stars like Pavel Buray, Alexander Mcgillney and Canucks fans paid $55 for upper bowl seats to watch their team compete.
The arena quickly became a hub for both hockey and basketball excitement. Beyond the sports, 1995 was a pivotal year for Vancouver culture and fashion. Grunge was still dominating the music scenes, bands like Nirvana influencing the city's youth fashion trends. Ripped jeans, Plaid shirts, heavy Doc Martens were everywhere and at the time, the film Clueless made a huge impact on fashion, making popular Plaid skirts, crop tops and bold
colors for women. Politically, Vancouver was under the leadership of Politically, Vancouver was under the leadership of Mayor Philip Owen, who would eventually lead to the opening of Insight, the first safe injection site in North America. Mike Harcourt was the premier of British Columbia, though his time in office would end in scandals with Bingo Gate, a fundraiser controversy that
rocked the NDP. Meanwhile, the city public transit was evolving, with the West Coast Express launching that year to connect suburban areas like Coquitlam, Port Moody and Mission to downtown Vancouver. The Sky Train, already a familiar part of the city landscape since Expo 86, continued to expand, providing an ever growing a network for commuters.
Vancouver in 1995 was a city on the cusp of change, its cultural, political, sporting landscape all undergoing significant shifts, making it a very memorable year in the city's history. The underbelly A rising darkness? Well, Vancouver boomed economically, thanks to the part of real estate investments. In the flood of immigration, especially from Hong Kong, the city was also facing an unprecedent surge in crime.
Drug addiction, gang violence, drive by shootings and nightclub attacks painted a stark contrast to the city's glittering skyline. By 1995, Vancouver By 1995, Vancouver had the most homicides in Canada, twice the number Of Montreal and Toronto. The Bar Watch program, created in December of 1995, was a direct response to the escalating violence Vancouver drug crisis behind the scenes and Vancouver's relationship with drugs was deepening.
The city was once known for its opium trade, has become notorious for its rampant heroin and cocaine problems by 1995. By 1995, Vancouver was being called the city with the biggest drug addiction problem in Canada. Experts like Doctor Thomas Cure pointed to Vancouver's potent drug supply and its role as a port city for its staggering addiction rates. The Downtown Eastside in particular was descending into chaos and as homelessness and
drug use exploded. A city of contrasts in 1995 marked the beginning of a tale of two Vancouver's one of prosperity, one of international acclaim, the other of darkness and desperation. As gang violence, drug addiction and rising crime rates took root, Vancouver challenges became more impossible to ignore. Vancouver's turning point has come, and setting the stage for years of social and economic battles that would defy that
will define the city's future. In this series, we will shed light on the unsettling disappearances that plagued the Downtown East Side. Despite being one of Vancouver's most prosperous cities, Vancouver harbors a sinister secret within its downtown district, where dozens of women have gone missing, most of them involved in the sex trade.
The city pristine exterior surrounded by mountains and Pacific Ocean, stands in stark contrast to the gritty reality just east of the trendy gas town among Hastings St. Here, the atmosphere is marked by human stained, misery soaked doorways, individuals struggling with addiction.
The city's pristine exterior, surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean, stands in stark contrast to the gritty reality just east of the trendy Gastown among Hastings St. Here, the atmosphere is marked by human stain. The atmosphere is marked by human stained, misery soaked doorways, individuals struggling with addiction and a thriving sex trade. Prevalence of sex workers has become a haunting backdrop as women and girls as young as 14 solicit services for their drug fix.
Starting in 1978, women and girls, predominantly sex workers, have disappeared from this area. Despite efforts of law enforcement, there is a glaring absence of forensic evidence, no body, no witnesses or reports of abduction. The Amis atmosphere is compounded by the global reputation as Vancouver has gained for a hotspot for sex criminals and pedophiles that we'll be exposing in this series.
The potential for multiple serial killers operating simultaneously is a grim possibility Of the peak of the women going missing in the Downtown East Side. Police considered there are more than 600 potential suspects and 100 of which are considered high priority. 1/4 of the Downtown Eastside residents tested positive for HIV by 1997 as a result of unsafe sex and shared needles.
In 1997, unsafe sex, shared needles have taken its toll. 1/4 of the neighborhood's residents tested positive for HIV. The Downtown Eastside had sex workers as young as 11. In 1995, a survey of Downtown Eastside working girls and women revealed that 73% of them entered the sex trade as children, and the same percent were unwed mothers, averaging three children each of 90%. And of those and of those, 90% had lost her children to their to the state.
Fewer than half knew where their children were. Nearly 3/4 of the Downtown Eastside sex workers were Indigenous. More than 80% were born and raised outside of Vancouver in 1998, the average one death per day from drug overdose, making it the highest rate in Canadian history. Unraveling Vancouver's Downtown Eastside A Crisis in the mid 90s In the mid 1990s, the Downtown East side of Vancouver witnessed a transformation that would deeply affect the neighborhood for decades to come.
The rapid influx of crack cocaine and China white heroin reshaped the community into one marked by addiction, violence and despair. By mid 1990s, highly potent forms of crack cocaine and heroin flooded the streets of the Downtown Eastside. These drugs were stronger than what was previously circulated, quick quickly quickly tightened their grip on users. Drug use became more visible, especially on welfare Wednesday when government checks were
issued. The public spaces were filled with people opening using drugs in broad daylight, leading to a chaotic and dangerous environment. The strength of these drugs led to a rapid increase of addiction and overdose death. For many, the pole of addiction became inescapable, resulting in severe health consequences and
loss of life. Many sex workers who've been displaced by jennification and other parts of Vancouver, such as Davie St. found themselves in the Downtown East Side, where drugs ruled the street, Crack and heroin were often traded as currency, and sex workers were exploited for their addiction, making their already dangerous profession more dangerous. Many women, particularly Indigenous women, began to
disappear at alarming rates. These disappearances were often ignored or dismissed, reflecting a systemic failure to protect vulnerable individuals trapped in the cycles of poverty and addiction and exploitation. The Downtown Eastside, once a working class neighborhood with a vibrant community, has turned into a survival zone. Crime and violence increase and exploitation became rampant. Dealers and predators took
advantage of this. Dealers and predators took advantage of the desperation of people living in this devastated area. The tale of two Vancouvers. By 1995, Vancouver has become a city divided. Prosperous Vancouver and one part of the city. Glamour well thrived. Upscale restaurants, boutique Film Festival, music events defied a city of opportunity. It was a time of prosperity and culture, predominance of
cultural prominence. The Downtown Eastside Just blocks away, the Downtown Eastside became a stark contrast. A city filled with addiction, homelessness, exploitation. Crack cocaine was smoked openly, heroin use was rampant. Vulnerable sex workers were caught in the brutal cycle of drugs and violence to survival sex, often exchanging their bodies for drugs in desperate
situations. The mid 1990s also saw a rise of the HIV epidemic that ravaged the Downtown Eastside, especially among people who injected drugs and sex workers. By 1997, up to 40% of Vancouver's estimated 15,000 drug users have become HIV positive, making Downtown Eastside the epicenter of an epidemic in Canada. Street based sex workers, many of them whom engage in survival sex to funder addiction, were disproportionately affected by
the outbreak. Indigenous sex workers were over representative in the effect of population highlighting systemic issues of colonialism, intergenerational trauma that made them more vulnerable, the West End expulsion and consequences, heightened levels of violence, physical and sexual abuse. Many were subjected to assault, rape and other forms of violence, often without recourse
or protection from authorities. Fear of stigma, criminal charges, or further abuse from law enforcement led to widespread under reporting of violence incidents, allowing predators to act with impunity. The unraveling of the Downtown Eastside in the mid 1990s set off a chain reaction of social crisis that the city is still grappling with today.
The overdose crisis that began in the 90s has worsened overtime, and the issues such as homelessness, addiction, and exploitation have become entrenched. The failures to address the root causes of addiction, poverty, and exploitation has left a lasting legacy of suffering in the Downtown Eastside, turning it into a symbol of neglect and
systemic failure. As Vancouver continues to prosper in certain areas, the Downtown Eastside remains a haunting reminder of the city's dark underbelly, a place where the vulnerable are left to fend for themselves, immense, a perfect storm of drugs and violence and societal indifference. The contrast between the two Vancouvers, one of light and the other of darkness, remains stark, raising the question, how long can a city thrive while
leaving so many behind? February 1995, When Jane Doe's half skull was discovered in a quiet Creek outside of Mission, BC, about an hour from Vancouver, it's almost felt like supernatural forces were at work. Her remains had been hidden away for so long, forgotten alongside so many others. It was as if something beyond her comprehension demanded she be discovered. The way her skull was cut with a power tool with grotesque
precision was unsettling enough. But the timing of the discovery, right when the city was at its peak of distraction, caught up in the glamour of its golden age, it felt like more than just a coincidence. The Santo Morte, the Holy Mother of the dead, appeared to hover in the background, advocating for the lost and murdered whose voices had been silenced for years. It's as if she willed this discovery, forcing the world to confront the cries of the missing women that had long gone ignored.
This wasn't just a random find, it was a signal of something far more sinister waiting to breakthrough the beginning of a much darker story that had been festering beneath the surface. In the quiet town of Mission, BC in February 1995, a grim discovery was made. A skull with a vertebrae still attached was found, and though it carried no name, it became forever linked to one of Canada's darkest chapters.
This was Mission Jane Doe, the only unidentified victim of the notorious serial killer Robert Willie Picton. Jane Doe was believed to be a white woman or indigenous, somewhere between 18 and 40 years old. She died sometime between 1985 and 1994, her life cut short, her name lost to time. For nearly 30 years detective have tried to solve the mystery of who she was. Her DNA had been entered into numerous databases, but no match
has been found. Investigators believed her family may not even know she is missing, or that they may have mistakenly believed she had already been reported. This case is deeply unsettling, not just because of the horrific ordeal she must have endured, but because no one she loved has come forward to claim her. A woman stripped of her identity, forgotten by a world that should have known her better. But she is not forgotten.
In this moment, we honor her, the woman whose name we may never know, but whose life mattered. We call her Mission Jane Doe, but we understand she had a real name, once a real story, and real people who loved her. She had dreams. She lived, and she deserved more than the suffering she endured. This series is dedicated to her memory and to all of the victims of this tragedy. As we share these stories, we are not just seeking justice,
but we're offering remembrance. We want to make sure that Mission Jane Doe and the countless others like her are not just statistics. They are human beings with stories worth telling, and to the family that may be searching, and to those who carried the weight of the loss from these horrific events, our hearts are with you.
Jane Doe's memory, though cloaked in mystery, stands as a call to recognize that every life has value and every story deserves to be told, even when the name is lost. In August of 2002, Robert Picton's pig farm was searched.
Not only did searchers find more human skulls mutilated in the same way as a victim, but they also discovered heel bones, ankle bones and rib bones buried in a pit behind Picton's slaughterhouse that matched Missions Jane Doe between 1983 and 2002. Willie Pickton may have been responsible for the murders or disappearances up to 49 women, many of whom lived on the Downtown East Side.
It was a cold February afternoon in 1995 when Bill Wilson made a discovery that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He was selling homemade whirlywigs and birdhouses on the side of Hwy. 7 just outside of Mission. He wandered into a nearby Creek to fill his water bottle. As he leaned over a bank, something unusual caught his eye from 40 feet away, what appeared to be an old weather bowl. He nudged it with his bottle, flipping it over. That's when he realized it wasn't a bowl at all.
Staring up from the mud was 1/2 of a human skull. Skin, including the skin on her nose was still attached. It was a sight of horror. The police collected the skull and what followed would be a decade long mystery that still echoes through the town of Mission. The skull was placed in a box and was given the ID number 9524092. Days later the skull was picked up by Corporal Tim Slay. He believed the skull was a
victim of foul play. The fact that the skull was cut in half with an electric saw was highly unusual. Doctor James Ferris, a forensic pathologist, believed Jane Doe was a woman in her 20s. He believed she was murdered 12 to 24 months before this discovery. But was only in the water for a couple of weeks. That was because there was aperture on the skull. A substance called grave wax or Mortuary wax.
It is formed when fat in the body breaks down and combines with water to form a waxy substance. It's more often found in cold or wet ground. Eventually turns into a hard coating over the bones, almost like tartar on teeth. The aperture on Janes Doe's skull told Doctor Ferris the skull has been in the damp place for at least a year or two. The fact that the skull was not chewed by an animal also told him that it hadn't been in the Creek for more than a couple of weeks.
The skull was part of a woman's head, but only the upper right side was ever found. No body, no identity, just the solitary remnants left to the elements. The woman became known as Mission Jane Doe. The investigators were left with more questions and answer. Who was she? How did she die? Why had her remains ended up in this quiet, swampy stretch of land between the Fraser and Stave River? Time passed, and Jane Doe's case grew colder by the year.
Leads went nowhere and DNA samples were sent to police labs across Canada, even agencies in Washington state, but none offered a match. The case seemed destined to fade into oblivion until the gruesome discovery on Robert Picton's farm in 2002. A rib bone and a heel was uncovered in a pit behind his slaughterhouse. DNA testing revealed an undeniable connection. The remains belong to the same woman whose skull has been found
in Mission 7 years earlier. Suddenly, the mystery of Mission Jane Doe exploded back into the headlines. She was one of Picton's victims, one of the countless women lost in the shadows of his crimes. The authorities had long suspected a connection, but now they had evidence this would not bring her the justice she deserved. Picton was charged in her murder, but a tangled mess of legal rulings, and the charge was eventually stayed due to an
administrative error. The judge ruled that the jury couldn't hear her story, as if it was as though Mission Jane Doe had been silenced all over again. But Jane Doe wasn't forgotten. In 2006, in a final attempt to give her a name, the police sent her skull to the National Research Council in Ottawa, where new scanning technology was employed to create a 3D model of her head.
With this digital reconstruction, the FBI's top forensic artist, Carl Adrian, painstakingly created a composite sketch approximation of the woman's face based on the skeletal remains. The left side of her skull has been crudely cut with the reciprocating saw, so Adrian mirrored the right side to complete the image, aware of the imperfections. This method would inevitably introduce. Her missing lower jaw, her missing identity. Everything about Jane Doe was
fragmented. The sketch was shared with the public and 2008, following Picton's convictions for six other murders. The hope that someone, somewhere might recognize her face, Maybe a strange family member, maybe a friend who had long since given up hope of finding her. Yet even this new development led to nothing. No one came forward, and Jane Doe's life and her death remains
a mystery. It was the Crown's theory that Picton regularly drove to Mission to get rid of body parts that were too big to take to the Vancouver rendering plant, where he disposed of pig innards. Janes O Skull was critical evidence to support this theory, which also boosted by testimony of a witness who said Picton dumped unspecified things on the back roads near Mission. As Vancouver's skyline shimmered in the summer of 1994, something far darker was unfolding beneath
the surface. In our next episode, Fast Money in Vancouver, we dive into the mysterious disappearance of Nick and Lisa Macy, a seemingly perfect couple swept up in the shadows of organized crime, money laundering, and a booming stock market that many called a penny stock casino. But was there vanishing, a tragic accident, or something
much more sinister? Join us as we unravel the intricate web of scams, gangs and greed that turned Vancouver into a hotspot for fast money and deadly consequences. You won't want to miss it. The. I mean, you are not called to tell you. How would it be? I want to drive you through the night down the hills. I want to tell you something you don't want to hear. I'm going to show you where it starts, but I love fear. There's something inside you.
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