Skip to content

Police seek help in identifying Jane Doe found in Mission; DNA linked to Pickton farm

The Missing Women Task Force is seeking the public's help in identifying a woman whose DNA was found on the farm of serial killer Robert Pickton.
93600abbotsfordJaneDoe2
Composite sketch of 'Jane Doe' whose DNA was found on Robert Pickton's farm.

The Missing Women Task Force is seeking the public's help in identifying a woman whose DNA was found on the farm of serial killer Robert Pickton.

On Feb. 23, 1995, a partial skull with an attached vertebra was located in a creek by a person filling their water bottle in Mission. The creek was situated just south of the Lougheed Highway, about 800 metres east of the Ruskin bridge.

Several forensic experts were used in trying to identify her.

In August 2002, bones recovered during the search of serial killer Robert Pickton's farm were confirmed to be genetically linked to the partial skull.

Investigators worked with a sketch artist from the Federal Bureau of Investigations to develop a composite drawing based on what was learned from the victim's skull.

The woman's DNA profile has been provided to every lab across Canada and, along with the composite drawings, has been shared with Interpol and its 188 member countries. This ensures her information is available for comparison by other police agencies with missing person files.

The victim is described as a Caucasian woman between 20 and 40 years old. She was missing teeth in the upper right portion of her jaw, and might have worn dentures. Her death would have been between 1985 and 1995.

Sgt. Dan Almas with Project Evenhanded – which is investigating a list of missing and murdered women dating back to the early 1980s – said it is possible that the woman's family does not know she is missing or they may assume she was reported missing and there is a file open.

"We believe someone out there knows who Jane Doe is and can help solve this mystery. Somebody knew her and her family deserves to know what happened," Almas said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Missing Women Task Force's toll-free line at 1-800-687-3377.