Lisa Marie Young, a 21-year-old Indigenous Canadian, went missing from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on June 30, 2002.
She was last seen after attending a local nightclub and two house parties.
Later, she accepted a ride to a fast-food restaurant from Christopher William Adair, whom she and her friends had met earlier at the club.
Despite extensive efforts, Lisa has never been found, and her disappearance is now being treated as a homicide.
Lisa, the eldest child and only daughter of Don Young and Marlene "Joanne" Martin, grew up in Nanaimo, attending Brechin Elementary and Woodlands Secondary School.
Her family ties run deep, with her maternal grandfather serving as Tribal Chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.
Described as an independent and hardworking woman with inner strength, Lisa was close to her family and had plans for the future, including starting a new job at a call center and considering further education.
On the night of her disappearance, Lisa left her parents' residence to go to a nightclub with friends.
She was later seen with Christopher Adair, who offered her a ride in his red Jaguar.
Concerns grew when Lisa called a friend, expressing frustration that Adair wouldn't bring her back.
The final signal from her cellphone was traced to the Departure Bay area.
Despite her parents' immediate concern, the initial response from the authorities was lacking, with RCMP initially stating they needed to wait 48 hours before filing a missing person report.
The investigation
On July 1, 2002, Lisa Marie Young’s parents began to worry when they hadn’t heard from her.
Initially, they assumed she was too busy to answer her phone, but their concern grew when her former roommate visited, inquiring about her whereabouts.
After calling every number in her phone book, they contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Nanaimo.
Initially, the RCMP advised them to wait 48 hours, but an officer visited their home that evening to ask questions and obtain a photograph of Young.
A few days later, the RCMP informed her parents that the Serious Crime Unit was now handling the case.
The police concluded foul play was likely involved after Young disappeared following a house party in the Cathers Lake area.
Despite several searches in remote areas around Nanaimo, no evidence was found.
In late July 2002, the police questioned Adair, the driver of the Jaguar Young was last seen in.
Young’s mother met with Adair, who expressed regret but provided no information.
Adair was later released without charges, and the police considered him a person of interest.
The Jaguar, owned by Adair’s grandmother, was inspected and later sold, and the grandmother threatened legal action over implications against her grandson.
The police did not actively search for Young until she had been missing for two months, leaving the initial search efforts to her family and friends.
The family's efforts to raise awareness and search for Lisa were met with challenges, including false claims and misinformation.
Within two weeks of Lisa Marie Young's disappearance, her extended family received several phone calls from unknown individuals claiming that her body had been found in nearby Lantzville.
The RCMP stated that similar rumors had circulated online a week earlier, asserting that Young’s body was in Ladysmith.
In August 2003, the RCMP issued a statement refuting new claims that her body had been recovered, explaining that these rumors were causing significant distress for Young's family.
The similarities in the false claims, along with the timing of these incidents coinciding with spikes in investigative activity, raised suspicions that the misinformation might have been a deliberate attempt to distract investigators and the public, rather than merely senseless hoaxes as initially thought by the media and RCMP.
After a one-year vigil in 2003, a psychic’s information prompted Young’s family to arrange a dive search at Colliery Dam Park, but nothing was found.
In December 2020, the Nanaimo RCMP conducted searches at two locations, including a residential property near Morrell Nature Sanctuary.
In June 2021, the RCMP held a press conference, updating that recent and historical information had led to numerous searches in the past year, employing ground-penetrating radar and a police dog.
Despite the extensive investigation, including 15,000 documents and hundreds of witness statements, no arrests have been made in connection to Young's disappearance.
The investigation into Lisa's disappearance has faced criticism, with concerns raised about the handling of the case and the response from authorities.
Despite ongoing efforts from her family and the community, including vigils, search efforts, and public appeals, Lisa remains missing.
The case continues to be an active investigation, with new information emerging over the years.
The aftermath of Lisa's disappearance has taken a toll on her loved ones, with her mother experiencing health complications and her friend Dallas Hulley tragically passing away in a separate accident.
Lisa's memory lives on through initiatives like "Walk for Lisa" and music dedicated to her, but her family continues to seek answers and justice for her disappearance.
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