Lisa Young Nanaimo homicide case continually leads to tips

Carol Frank addresses a crowd at Maffeo Sutton Park on Sunday, June 28. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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A visibly emotional Frank thanked the roughly 100 people who attended the event at Nanaimo Lions Pavilion.

“Years have gone by and it doesn’t get any easier, we just learn to go forward.”

Nobody has ever been arrested or charged in relation to Young’s case.

The last known time she was alive was while she was on the phone with a friend, stating she was being held against her will in a vehicle on a Bowen Rd. driveway.

Former Nanaimo-Ladysmith Member of Parliament, Lisa Marie Barron, was in Young’s social circle at the time.

Barron stated would have been with Young enjoying Nanaimo’s night life over the Canada Day long weekend, however at the time Barron learned she was pregnant with her first child.

“I didn’t go out that weekend and that was the weekend that Lisa went missing,” Barron said. “It pulls heavy on my heartstrings thinking of the last time I saw her and her bright smile that lit up a room and that incredible sense of style that she had.”

Fighting back tears, Barron said vulnerable women like Young represents a crisis requiring more action from government leaders in Canada.

“It’s still very disturbing that we’ve had a member of our community who’s so well loved just go missing and still not have the answers that we need and deserve,” Barron said.

Police investigation

Lisa Marie Young’s case is led by primary investigator Cpl. Hayley Pinfold and file coordinator Cpl. Tim Mason, who attended Sunday afternoon’s gathering.

Pinfold said the investigation sees in the range of five to 15 people coming forward to police annually.

Piecing together Young’s day-to-day routine and who she interacted with prior to June 30, 2002 is also important, noting some people may have helpful information and not realize it.

“All of that is really valuable in us being able to put a fulsome picture together, of not only what happened to Lisa that night, but also her life and the other people’s lives around that time when this did happen,” Pinfold told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Cpl. Pinfold describes the amount of people coming forward with tips as “more than sporadic”, whether it’s coming from Lisa’s family, or the general public.

“We’re not only investigating this to seek justice for the family and to try and get a resolution for the criminal aspect of this investigation, we’re also here to determine what happened and find out all of the information we can to help with getting that closure.”

RCMP and private-led searches throughout a wide range of the mid-Island have been conducted in the past in an effort to secure Young’s remains.

Cpl. Hayley Pinfold and Cpl. Tim Mason of Nanaimo RCMP are leading the Lisa Young homicide investigation. (Image Credit: Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

While Nanaimo RCMP investigators have competing interests, such as other homicide probes, Cpl. Mason said they dedicate time to advancing Young’s case.

“We’re still very invested in progressing this file,” he said.

Cpl. Mason said while homicide investigations present challenges as time elapses, he said the amount of public interest Young’s case generates is helpful.

Cpl. Mason was asked if he believes there are people in Nanaimo with direct knowledge of what happened to Young.

“Yes, certainly,” Cpl. Mason said. “I think there’s people out there that have information, in fact, we talk to people pretty regularly that some just aren’t fully comfortable coming forward to talk to us yet, but we’re trying to find ways to kind of mitigate those concerns.”

Cpl. Mason hopes those that are fearful will hopefully be willing to come forward in the future.

A $50,000 USD reward remains in place for information leading to Young’s remains, under the condition the tipster identifies themselves to police.

Anybody with information regarding Lisa Young’s case is asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP’s non-emergency line at 1-250-754-2345.

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by Ian Holmes

Lisa Young Nanaimo homicide case continually leads to tips

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