Sunday, March 14, 2004
Some key dates in the case of more than 60 women missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside:
September 1978: Lillian Jean O'Dare, now the first name on the list, disappears from Downtown Eastside.
1991: Relatives of a growing list of missing women, along with advocates for sex-trade workers, establish annual Valentine's Day remembrance, press for tougher police investigation.
June 1997: Helen Mae Hallmark reported missing.
September 1998: Vancouver police set up team to review files of as many as 40 women missing as far back as 1971.
January 1999: Jacqueline McDonell reported missing.
Sometime in 1999: Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Jennifer Furminger last seen.
April 1999: Vancouver police board posts $100,000 reward for information in case.
March 2001: Patricia Johnson last seen in Downtown Eastside.
April 2001: Heather Bottomley reported missing.
August 2001: Sereena Abotsway reported missing.
September 2001: Vancouver police and RCMP form joint task force to replace city police stalled investigation.
October 2001: Diane Rock reported missing.
November 2001: Mona Wilson reported missing.
December 2001: Task force investigators travel to Seattle to interview Gary Ridgeway, charged in four of 49 Green River homicides in Washington state.
January 2002: Task force adds five names to list, bringing total number of women missing to 50.
Feb. 5, 2002: RCMP officers, accompanied by missing-women task force members, enter pig farm in suburban Port Coquitlam on firearms warrant.
Feb. 6, 2002: Task force officers use their own warrant to begin searching pig farm for clues in missing women case.
Feb. 7, 2002: Robert Pickton, one of two brothers who own pig farm, charged with weapons offences as search of property continued.
Feb. 22, 2002: Robert Pickton charged with two counts of first-degree murder - Sereena Abotsway and Mona Wilson.
April 2, 2002: Crown announces three more first-degree charges against Pickton - Diane Rock, Jacqueline McDonell and Heather Bottomley.
April 9, 2002: Sixth murder charge laid against Pickton - Andrea Joesbury.
April 23, 2002: Karin Joesbury, mother of Andrea, files lawsuits against Pickton, police, the province and the federal government in relation to her death.
May 22, 2002: Pickton charged with first-degree murder of Brenda Wolfe.
June 6, 2002: Police begin excavating Pickton properties with help of archeologists.
Sept. 19, 2002: Father of missing woman Marcie Creison files lawsuit against police, City of Vancouver, the province and the federal government over investigation.
Sept. 19, 2002: Pickton charged with four more murders - Georgina Papin, Helen Hallmark, Patricia Johnson and Jennifer Furminger. List of missing officially grows to 63.
Oct. 2, 2002: Pickton charged with murders of Heather Chinnock, Tanya Holyk, Sherry Irving and Inga Hall.
Jan. 13, 2003: Preliminary hearing begins in provincial court in Port Coquitlam.
July 21, 2003: Hearing concludes.
July 23, 2003: Judge David Stone commits Pickton for trial on 15 counts of first-degree murder.
Nov. 18, 2003: Investigators wrap up mass excavation and search of Pickton farm.
Jan. 27, 2004: DNA of nine more women found on the farm, raising the possibility of more charges against Pickton.
Feb. 20, 2004: B.C. government reports investigation costs will likely run up to $70 million and that the money has been set aside in the provincial budget.
March 10, 2004: Health officials report human remains may have been in meat processed for human consumption at the Pickton pig farm.
© The Canadian Press 2004
September 1978: Lillian Jean O'Dare, now the first name on the list, disappears from Downtown Eastside.
1991: Relatives of a growing list of missing women, along with advocates for sex-trade workers, establish annual Valentine's Day remembrance, press for tougher police investigation.
June 1997: Helen Mae Hallmark reported missing.
September 1998: Vancouver police set up team to review files of as many as 40 women missing as far back as 1971.
January 1999: Jacqueline McDonell reported missing.
Sometime in 1999: Georgina Papin, Brenda Wolfe and Jennifer Furminger last seen.
April 1999: Vancouver police board posts $100,000 reward for information in case.
March 2001: Patricia Johnson last seen in Downtown Eastside.
April 2001: Heather Bottomley reported missing.
August 2001: Sereena Abotsway reported missing.
September 2001: Vancouver police and RCMP form joint task force to replace city police stalled investigation.
October 2001: Diane Rock reported missing.
November 2001: Mona Wilson reported missing.
December 2001: Task force investigators travel to Seattle to interview Gary Ridgeway, charged in four of 49 Green River homicides in Washington state.
January 2002: Task force adds five names to list, bringing total number of women missing to 50.
Feb. 5, 2002: RCMP officers, accompanied by missing-women task force members, enter pig farm in suburban Port Coquitlam on firearms warrant.
Feb. 6, 2002: Task force officers use their own warrant to begin searching pig farm for clues in missing women case.
Feb. 7, 2002: Robert Pickton, one of two brothers who own pig farm, charged with weapons offences as search of property continued.
Feb. 22, 2002: Robert Pickton charged with two counts of first-degree murder - Sereena Abotsway and Mona Wilson.
April 2, 2002: Crown announces three more first-degree charges against Pickton - Diane Rock, Jacqueline McDonell and Heather Bottomley.
April 9, 2002: Sixth murder charge laid against Pickton - Andrea Joesbury.
April 23, 2002: Karin Joesbury, mother of Andrea, files lawsuits against Pickton, police, the province and the federal government in relation to her death.
May 22, 2002: Pickton charged with first-degree murder of Brenda Wolfe.
June 6, 2002: Police begin excavating Pickton properties with help of archeologists.
Sept. 19, 2002: Father of missing woman Marcie Creison files lawsuit against police, City of Vancouver, the province and the federal government over investigation.
Sept. 19, 2002: Pickton charged with four more murders - Georgina Papin, Helen Hallmark, Patricia Johnson and Jennifer Furminger. List of missing officially grows to 63.
Oct. 2, 2002: Pickton charged with murders of Heather Chinnock, Tanya Holyk, Sherry Irving and Inga Hall.
Jan. 13, 2003: Preliminary hearing begins in provincial court in Port Coquitlam.
July 21, 2003: Hearing concludes.
July 23, 2003: Judge David Stone commits Pickton for trial on 15 counts of first-degree murder.
Nov. 18, 2003: Investigators wrap up mass excavation and search of Pickton farm.
Jan. 27, 2004: DNA of nine more women found on the farm, raising the possibility of more charges against Pickton.
Feb. 20, 2004: B.C. government reports investigation costs will likely run up to $70 million and that the money has been set aside in the provincial budget.
March 10, 2004: Health officials report human remains may have been in meat processed for human consumption at the Pickton pig farm.
© The Canadian Press 2004
