Vancouver BC cold case: Unidentified body of woman found in 2022 connected to Seattle, Portland area before death

A nearly four-year-old cold case in Vancouver, B.C. has investigators turning to Washington and Oregon for help, as officials believe the woman at the center of the case may have spent her final days in the Seattle or Portland area.

The body of an unidentified woman was found near Spanish Banks on September 29, 2022, but has never been identified. She did not have a wallet or ID on her when her body was discovered.

Now, nearly four years later, Vancouver Police Department Detective Rebecca Matson said new testing of her sweater uncovered pollen. According to the Vancouver Police Department, the discovered pollen grains and fern spores found on the woman’s sweater indicated “recent exposure to an urban environment within the Pacific Northwest, plausibly Seattle or Portland.”

“We know based on this science that her sweater, at least, had some exposure to your neck of the woods, so we’re here to investigate that lead,” Vancouver Police Department Sergeant Adam Donaldson said.

The Vancouver Police Department believes she may have been in the Seattle and Portland area before coming to Vancouver, where she died.

“She was newly arrived here,” Matson said, according to KIRO Newsradio. “At least that sweater hadn’t been out and about enough to pick up pollen, but it had pollen on it that showed she had previously been in the Pacific Northwest.”

Description of unidentified woman

The unidentified woman is described as of African descent, approximately 30 to 40 years old, with short black hair and distinctive facial freckles. Searches across North America and through Interpol have not found a missing person matching this description.

“This matters because a woman died alone, far from home,” Donaldson said at a media conference, according to CBC. “We know that there is somebody out there who is missing their auntie or their sister or their friend. We just need that one tip that will help us identify her.”

Donaldson urged the public to spread the word, hoping it could lead to a tip that helps identify the victim.

“Share the story. Tell your friends. Discuss it at the dinner table. Discuss it at the watercooler, and we are hoping that the discussion around it could help us get to an ID. All we need is just one email, one tip. That’s all it takes,” he said.

A blue inflatable kayak, an orange life vest, insulin, and some candy were found floating nearby her body, leading investigators to believe she could have suffered a diabetic-related issue before capsizing and falling into the water.

Law enforcement officials are expected to travel to Seattle and Portland to share their findings and appeal for public assistance in identifying her.

This is a developing story, check back for updates

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