Specially trained RCMP officers have converged at a lake in Nanaimo to search for evidence in a suspicious missing-persons case.
About 30 officers — members of tactical and forensic identification teams — are searching for a person they believe met with foul play in the past year, RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien said Thursday. The officers are from Nanaimo, elsewhere on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.
The investigation has led to Divers Lake, a natural lake within the city, said O’Brien.
Police have not disclosed any details on the missing person and were reluctant to even comment on whether it’s a man or a woman. “The investigation is at the stage we need to do some really detailed searching,” O’Brien said.
Officers are on the ground, searching the park. An underwater recovery team is in the water, he said.
Police are also searching an apartment building at the corner of Rosehill and Vancouver Avenue, O’Brien said. “It’s a very detailed search.”
Residents will probably notice a number of police vehicles, marked and unmarked, in the city for two to three days, O’Brien said, adding police asked the city to put out a notice that Divers Lake park will be closed to the public for the next couple of days.
“People walk through there. There’s a fishing hole and tennis and pickleball courts. There’s also a dog park in there, too, so we’ve asked the public to stay away.”
The RCMP have contacted the family of Lisa Marie Young, who vanished from Nanaimo in 2002, to let them know the intense search is not related to her disappearance. Investigators didn’t want to raise any false hopes.
“Everything we’re doing is for investigative means,” O’Brien said. “If we get to the point where evidence is found in the next couple of days, we’ll be making a statement. And we’ll be making statements as we progress through the investigation.
“But the integrity of the evidence is key. Everything is done for a reason and we trust the public understands it.”
