His crimes, which unfolded on a pig farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, shocked the nation and made international headlines.
From the mysterious disappearances of multiple women to the criminal investigations that uncovered unimaginable horrors, this true crime case remains one of the most chilling in Canadian history.
Let's get into it.
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| Robert Pickton |
Who Was Robert Pickton and What Crimes Did He Commit?
Robert “Willie” Pickton was born in 1949 and raised on his family’s pig farm in Port Coquitlam.
By all accounts, he was a socially awkward man who lived a reclusive life.
However, beneath this unassuming exterior was one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers.
Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Pickton preyed on women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, a neighborhood known for its high rates of poverty, drug use, and prostitution.
Many of his victims were Indigenous women, sex workers, or drug users—individuals society often overlooks.
Pickton’s crimes eventually came to light in 2002 when crime scene investigators discovered the remains or DNA of 33 women on his farm.
He was eventually convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007, though he bragged to an undercover officer about killing 49 women.
His methods were gruesome.
He reportedly strangled his victims, dismembered them, and disposed of their remains by feeding them to his pigs.
After he fed them human remains, he killed the pigs and sold the meat to unsuspecting local meat vendors.
According to the Canadian encyclopedia, authorities reportedly warned local residents to be careful about the type of pig meat they ate at the time, citing health concerns.
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| Robert Pickton's known victims |
How Was Robert Pickton Caught?
The criminal investigation that ultimately led to Robert Pickton’s arrest was a long and painstaking process, marked by both persistence and a bit of luck.
In 2001, the Vancouver Police Department and the RCMP joined forces to create Project Evenhanded.
This was a task force dedicated to solving the disappearances of multiple women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
For several years, even before Robert Pickton’s crime spree, multiple women—many of them sex workers and drug users —had been vanishing from the area.
However, their cases were often dismissed or ignored due to systemic biases and the marginalized status of the victims.
Thankfully, a breakthrough came in early 2002 when Scott Chubb, a former employee of the Pickton family, provided a crucial tip.
Chubb informed the RCMP that he had seen illegal firearms in Pickton’s trailer home on the pig farm.
On February 5, 2002, officers from Project Evenhanded raided the farm.
What they found was beyond horrifying.
The initial search uncovered several illegal and unregistered firearms, but it was the "other" discoveries that turned the case into a full-blown nightmare.
Crime scene investigators found women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, and identification cards belonging to some of the missing women.
Among the most damning pieces of evidence was an asthma inhaler prescribed to Sereena Abotsway, one of the victims.
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| Robert Pickton |
The Criminal Investigation That Followed After The Gruesome Discovery
As the criminal investigation deepened, the farm became the largest crime scene in Canadian history.
Forensic teams, archaeologists, and crime scene investigators descended on the property, sifting through 383,000 cubic yards of soil with heavy machinery.
They collected over 200,000 DNA samples and seized 600,000 exhibits, including personal items and human remains.
The scale of the operation was unprecedented, and the cost of the investigation ballooned to nearly $70 million.
Pickton was initially arrested on weapons charges and released on bail, but he was kept under strict surveillance.
Police continued their search of the farm under a second warrant, and the evidence piled up.
Bloodstains found in a motorhome on the property were matched to Mona Wilson, another missing woman.
This discovery led to Pickton’s re-arrest on February 22, 2002, and he was charged with two counts of murder.
Eventually, the charges expanded to 26 counts of murder, though he was only convicted of six.
While Pickton was in custody, he shared a cell with an undercover RCMP officer posing as another inmate.
During their conversations, as seen in the video below, Pickton bragged about killing 49 women and even expressed regret that he hadn’t reached his goal of 50.
This confession, while not used during his trial, added another layer of horror to an already gruesome case.
Robert Pickton's known victims include:
- Sereena Abotsway (29 years old) – Reported missing August 22, 2001
- Mona Wilson (26 years old) – Reported missing November 30, 2001
- Andrea Joesbury (22 years old) – Reported missing June 8, 2001
- Brenda Ann Wolfe (32 years old) – Reported missing April 25, 2000
- Georgina Papin (34 years old) – Reported missing in March 2001
- Marnie Frey (24 years old) – Reported missing December 29, 1997
Early Warning Signs Ignored by Authorities: Missed Opportunities
Robert Pickton's case is a tragic example of how systemic biases and investigative failures can have devastating consequences.
As early as 1997, a woman who escaped Pickton’s farm after a violent struggle reported the incident to authorities.
However, due to her status as a drug user, her testimony was dismissed, and the charges against Pickton were dropped.
Robert claimed that the woman was a hitchhiker who attacked him and that he was the victim
In 1999, an informant told police about a woman’s body hanging in Pickton’s slaughterhouse, but the tip was not pursued aggressively.
Similarly, a farm employee reported suspicious items on the property, but without an eyewitness or physical evidence, police could not obtain a search warrant.
These missed opportunities allowed Pickton to continue his killing spree for years.
As one investigator later admitted, “The victims were marginalized women, and their disappearances were not taken seriously. It’s a failure that will haunt us forever.”
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| Sketch of Robert Pickton in court |
Legal Proceedings and Aftermath
Robert Pickton’s trial began in January 2007 and lasted nearly a year.
He was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The trial was a harrowing experience for the families of the victims, many of whom felt that justice was only partially served.
In 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld Pickton’s convictions, but the decision not to pursue the remaining 20 murder charges left many families feeling betrayed.
As one family member said, “It’s like they’re saying some lives matter more than others.”
On May 31, 2024, Robert Pickton died following a prison assault, bringing a grim closure to this dark chapter.
For some family members of his victims, his death was a relief as they could move on with their lives, according to NBC News.
In the end, the true crime story of Robert Pickton is not just about one man’s evil but also about the societal and institutional failures that enabled his crimes.
It underscores the importance of taking every criminal complaint seriously, regardless of the victim’s background.
Got a tip about a crime? Please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS immediately.
You can also see how to report a crime anonymously online if you wish to remain anonymous.
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