It’s one of the older fraud scams out there, but it still must be working. The RCMP out of Chilliwack have warned their community of the old Bank Examiner Fraud which has apparently found new life in their community.
In the recent case an elderly citizen of the Chilliwack area, met with the “inspector” and turned over an undisclosed amount of cash, which of course has now vanished along with the ever so helpful “bank inspector”.
While it has not been reported in our neck of the woods yet, these things work in cycles so best to be aware of it should the scam arrive here.
As in any situation, no one should be asking for your money, your credit information or things of that nature, if in any doubt contact your bank branch manager and ask questions.
The phone busters website has a number of items of current frauds out there, something worth looking at from time to time to keep up to speed on what the crooks are up to in their quest to steal our money.
Community Warning.
Fraud Alert
The Chilliwack RCMP would like to remind the public of a few basic Fraud Prevention tips. Just last week, an elderly Chilliwack resident was the victim of a fraud , having lost an undisclosed amount of money in the process.
In this particular case, the male suspect used the following scheme to lure the victim into providing him with money.
An individual claiming to be a bank examiner contacts you by phone, and requests your assistance and cooperation in helping them uncover a suspected dishonest bank employee. You are asked to withdraw a specified amount of cash from your account. The "Bank Examiner" takes your money on the premise of verifying the serial numbers. You never see the Fraud Artist / Bank Examiner OR your money again.
More and more desperate thieves and fraud artists will pretend to be from the Security Department of a Financial Institution or Credit Card Company, therefore adding credibility to their fraudulent requests. You are never obliged to provide any personal information whatsoever and in doubt, always ask for the caller's supervisor, phone number and other pertinent information.
The RCMP is involved in a National Task Force known as “ Project Phonebusters” that was established to combat telemarketing fraud.
The public can visit the Website at www.phonebusters.com or call the toll-free line at 1-888-495-8501, in order to learn more ways to protect yourself, your family and friends.
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
From the Tony Montana school of labour negotiations
The International Steelworkers Union is circling the wagons and launching an internal investigation, this after the business manager of local 97 in Burnaby ended up in a Washington State jail, arrested under serious drug charges and providing a trail that apparently leads back to BC and a cache of 43 guns.
US Border officials arrested Perley Holmes on January 18, after spotting suspicious behavior on the back roads of the state and following his tracks in the snow of a remote rural part of the area near Spokane
While Holmes, the business manager of local 97, awaits his fate at the hands of American justice, the union is taking a good hard look at the way business was conducted at the local during the Holmes years. With an audit of the books expected to be completed by the end of the week. The union issued a press release expressing complete shock at the events and Holmes’ alleged involvement in them, stating that No one would have expected this kind of thing.
Also caught up in the periphery of the situation is the Liberal Party of Canada, of which Mr. Holmes was apparently a very strong supporter of. He recently provided a 100 dollar donation to the Stephane Dion campaign, a donation that they probably didn’t even know they had, but something that we are sure they are working on as we write this. While it’s obvious that Mr. Dion has nothing to do with this situation, the Liberals will want to make sure that there is plenty of distance between his name and that of Mr. Holmes.
But it will raise a few eyebrows about the party which has seen a few run in’s with the law over the last few years. Regardless, it will present a scenario that will no doubt be the fodder for not only Question Period but all the Canadian satire shows over the next little while.
There have been a number of characters in the history of Canadian unions, but this could be the first one that leaves one with a scenario that brings to mind a negotiating style more in keeping with that of Tony Montana, than that of Buzz Hargrove.
US Border officials arrested Perley Holmes on January 18, after spotting suspicious behavior on the back roads of the state and following his tracks in the snow of a remote rural part of the area near Spokane
While Holmes, the business manager of local 97, awaits his fate at the hands of American justice, the union is taking a good hard look at the way business was conducted at the local during the Holmes years. With an audit of the books expected to be completed by the end of the week. The union issued a press release expressing complete shock at the events and Holmes’ alleged involvement in them, stating that No one would have expected this kind of thing.
Also caught up in the periphery of the situation is the Liberal Party of Canada, of which Mr. Holmes was apparently a very strong supporter of. He recently provided a 100 dollar donation to the Stephane Dion campaign, a donation that they probably didn’t even know they had, but something that we are sure they are working on as we write this. While it’s obvious that Mr. Dion has nothing to do with this situation, the Liberals will want to make sure that there is plenty of distance between his name and that of Mr. Holmes.
But it will raise a few eyebrows about the party which has seen a few run in’s with the law over the last few years. Regardless, it will present a scenario that will no doubt be the fodder for not only Question Period but all the Canadian satire shows over the next little while.
There have been a number of characters in the history of Canadian unions, but this could be the first one that leaves one with a scenario that brings to mind a negotiating style more in keeping with that of Tony Montana, than that of Buzz Hargrove.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Somebody needs to go to confession!
The Crime stats are in and The Vatican is in the grip of a crime wave of unparalled proportions.
The small nation-city ruled by Pope Benedict XVI apparently sees more criminal cases per capita than any other part of the world, the German magazine Spiegel reports. This despite a ratio of one swiss guard for every four citizens of the city.
Most of the crime it seems happens to and by the estimated 18 million tourists a year that visit Vatican City, crimes such as pickpocketing and theft, fraud and forgery.
Justice it seems is slow of foot in Vatican city, as most of the criminals tend to slip away with only their conscience left to guide them, as the freedom of Rome is literally mere steps away able allowing the criminal element of the Vatican to disappear into the huge Italian metropolis.
The small nation-city ruled by Pope Benedict XVI apparently sees more criminal cases per capita than any other part of the world, the German magazine Spiegel reports. This despite a ratio of one swiss guard for every four citizens of the city.
Most of the crime it seems happens to and by the estimated 18 million tourists a year that visit Vatican City, crimes such as pickpocketing and theft, fraud and forgery.
Justice it seems is slow of foot in Vatican city, as most of the criminals tend to slip away with only their conscience left to guide them, as the freedom of Rome is literally mere steps away able allowing the criminal element of the Vatican to disappear into the huge Italian metropolis.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Busted by You Tube?
Law enforcement seems to have found a new tool to fight crime, the internet phenomenon that has become You Tube.
Police in Hamilton, Ontario used the video web portal to post a clip of security film from a Hamilton nightclub, which featured a clip of a man wearing a hat that was found at the scene of a murder after a hip hop concert at the venue.
The clip which shows that man and a second man going through a security line up was released in the hope that someone would recognize the two and give investigators a line on how to contact them. By this morning it is reported that it was viewed over 30,000 times, by the YouTube generation it has since been taken down by the police service.
While up on the site it featured the following descriptive blurb; Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying two men seen attending the Sean Price concert at Club 77, Hamilton Ontario on Nov. 17th, 2006. This video shows the two males arriving at 11:14p.m. and are described as 1) male white, wearing a white horizontal striped shirt and a black/white baseball hat with the word "JOKER" on the front and 2) male white, short hair, wearing a shirt with the word "ROCAWEAR" on the front and "99" on the back. Anyone with information please call Detective Sergeant Jorge Lasso at 905-546-2458 or Call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
It’s not known if the two were considered suspects or witnesses to the crime, but they seemed to be the focus of the investigation. It marked the first time that the Hamilton police have used the video uploading site to further an investigation and that use seemed to split the YouTubers that viewed the one minute and twelve second clip.
Earlier today, Hamilton police announced that a suspect had been charged in the death of 22-year-old Ryan Milner of Grimsby, Ontario and a friend of his who did not die of his injuries. The two were attacked in the early hours of November 17th after attending a hip hop concert at the nightclub.
Police didn’t state whether the arrest was directly related to the YouTube posting or through more traditional methods of investigation. In the end, the guy just walked into police headquarters and turned himself in, which tends to make a case easier to investigate.
However, it would seem that the web portal best known for stupid human tricks, music videos and other strange and wonderful things will now be enlisted in the fight against crime.
We can anticipate the idea to be featured on Law and Order shortly, the NBC show is always quick to catch onto the unusual twists in crime fighting and this certainly is one that would find a home on commercial television.
Police in Hamilton, Ontario used the video web portal to post a clip of security film from a Hamilton nightclub, which featured a clip of a man wearing a hat that was found at the scene of a murder after a hip hop concert at the venue.
The clip which shows that man and a second man going through a security line up was released in the hope that someone would recognize the two and give investigators a line on how to contact them. By this morning it is reported that it was viewed over 30,000 times, by the YouTube generation it has since been taken down by the police service.
While up on the site it featured the following descriptive blurb; Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying two men seen attending the Sean Price concert at Club 77, Hamilton Ontario on Nov. 17th, 2006. This video shows the two males arriving at 11:14p.m. and are described as 1) male white, wearing a white horizontal striped shirt and a black/white baseball hat with the word "JOKER" on the front and 2) male white, short hair, wearing a shirt with the word "ROCAWEAR" on the front and "99" on the back. Anyone with information please call Detective Sergeant Jorge Lasso at 905-546-2458 or Call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
It’s not known if the two were considered suspects or witnesses to the crime, but they seemed to be the focus of the investigation. It marked the first time that the Hamilton police have used the video uploading site to further an investigation and that use seemed to split the YouTubers that viewed the one minute and twelve second clip.
Earlier today, Hamilton police announced that a suspect had been charged in the death of 22-year-old Ryan Milner of Grimsby, Ontario and a friend of his who did not die of his injuries. The two were attacked in the early hours of November 17th after attending a hip hop concert at the nightclub.
Police didn’t state whether the arrest was directly related to the YouTube posting or through more traditional methods of investigation. In the end, the guy just walked into police headquarters and turned himself in, which tends to make a case easier to investigate.
However, it would seem that the web portal best known for stupid human tricks, music videos and other strange and wonderful things will now be enlisted in the fight against crime.
We can anticipate the idea to be featured on Law and Order shortly, the NBC show is always quick to catch onto the unusual twists in crime fighting and this certainly is one that would find a home on commercial television.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Crime in the Big City, when the crimes solve themselves
It's like a case from Law and Order, ripped from the headlines as they say.
We can assume from the following story from the Opinion 250 website, that the some of the criminal element in Prince George are not the smartest bears in the forest.
A twenty one year old brainiac is in Police custody facing a number of charges related to the theft of a truck and two quads over the weekend.
The truck and quads were stolen from a residence on the Hart Highway in North Prince George around 9 am on Sunday morning, Police kept a look out for the vehicle and found the truck off the road two hours later. From their the police work became easy, the two quads had been off loaded at that point and driven off to a garage in a different part of the city.
The fresh snow of the day provided the perfect trail for the Prince George Mounties to follow and it didn't take long to discover the storage point, execute a search warrant and arrest the 21 year old crime lord.
So we can thank either good police work or poor snow removal for the break in the case, but regardless of which civic function takes credit one thing is certain. There won't be an easier case to solve this winter.
Tracks Lead Police to Arrest
By 250 News
Monday, November 13, 2006 10:48 AM
A 21 year old man will be appearing before a Justice of the Peace today to face charges related to the theft of truck and two new quads.
Prince George RCMP say they got a call just before 9 Sunday morning from a man who said his truck and two new quads had been stolen from an address in the Hart. Police located the truck in less than two hours off the road at the intersection of Northwood Pulpmill Road and Noranda Road.
The quads had been taken off the truck and police followed the tracks in the snow to the 7800 block of Bellamy Road right to a garage on that street. Officers stayed on the scene, while other officers did the necessary work to get a search warrant which was executed just before 6:00 last evening.
The two quads were recovered, and a male and female were arrested at the scene. The 17 year old female was later released to appear in Provincial Court at a later date.
The 21 year old male faces several charges: theft of two quads , theft of truck, possession of stolen property and failing to comply with probation
We can assume from the following story from the Opinion 250 website, that the some of the criminal element in Prince George are not the smartest bears in the forest.
A twenty one year old brainiac is in Police custody facing a number of charges related to the theft of a truck and two quads over the weekend.
The truck and quads were stolen from a residence on the Hart Highway in North Prince George around 9 am on Sunday morning, Police kept a look out for the vehicle and found the truck off the road two hours later. From their the police work became easy, the two quads had been off loaded at that point and driven off to a garage in a different part of the city.
The fresh snow of the day provided the perfect trail for the Prince George Mounties to follow and it didn't take long to discover the storage point, execute a search warrant and arrest the 21 year old crime lord.
So we can thank either good police work or poor snow removal for the break in the case, but regardless of which civic function takes credit one thing is certain. There won't be an easier case to solve this winter.
Tracks Lead Police to Arrest
By 250 News
Monday, November 13, 2006 10:48 AM
A 21 year old man will be appearing before a Justice of the Peace today to face charges related to the theft of truck and two new quads.
Prince George RCMP say they got a call just before 9 Sunday morning from a man who said his truck and two new quads had been stolen from an address in the Hart. Police located the truck in less than two hours off the road at the intersection of Northwood Pulpmill Road and Noranda Road.
The quads had been taken off the truck and police followed the tracks in the snow to the 7800 block of Bellamy Road right to a garage on that street. Officers stayed on the scene, while other officers did the necessary work to get a search warrant which was executed just before 6:00 last evening.
The two quads were recovered, and a male and female were arrested at the scene. The 17 year old female was later released to appear in Provincial Court at a later date.
The 21 year old male faces several charges: theft of two quads , theft of truck, possession of stolen property and failing to comply with probation
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Working separate sides of the Highway of Tears
There appears to be a bit of professional tension between the RCMP investigators and the private investigator into the Highway of Tears cases. Ray Michalko, the private investigator from the lower mainland, who is making plans to come north to follow up some leads on the infamous case, is described as bristling at the way the RCMP in the North are treating his methods and attempts at investigation.
The Interior News out of Smithers, has a lengthy piece posted on the web, suggesting Michalko’s efforts are perhaps rubbing the police investigators the wrong way. An RCMP communications officer, Sgt. John Ward is quoted in the article as stating that Ray Michalko has been warned not to reveal information and to share any leads he picks up.
“If this gentleman, Mr. Michalko, says he’s got five people of interest then we certainly want to know who they are and we’ll take it from there,” Ward said.
The nature of the file and the lack of success thus far in solving the murders, or learning more about the disappearances have many in the North on edge. It must truly be frustrating for law enforcement, which have a number of resources behind them, yet seem to not be any closer to an answer yet.
However, the appearance of a turf war over investigative methods and an obvious lack of communication between the two parities, is not going to help the families of those involved, nor the communities that continue to wonder if there is a killer living amongst them or traveling through their towns and cities.
It’s a very interesting article and gives a very good indication as to how frustrating the investigative process has become and how the Highway of Tears continues to haunt everyone from Prince Rupert through to Prince George.
Highway of Tears investigator miffed
Interior News
Smithers BC
Oct 05 2006
A private investigator looking into the cases of murdered and missing women along Hwy 16 is bristling at the suggestion he is not cooperating with police.
Staff Sgt. John Ward, an RCMP communications officer, said Ray Michalko has been warned not to reveal information and to share any leads he picks up.
“We have been in contact with the private investigator and he understands very clearly that should he have information that someone comes forward with... he should be giving us a call and we expect that to happen should he uncover something,” said Ward.
Michalko, who has been collecting leads along the highway, now dubbed the Highway of Tears, plans to come to Smithers this month to talk with tipsters and five people of interest who he believes may be able to lead him toward the solution to the decades-old mystery of who has been abducting and murdering women along the highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
“If this gentleman, Mr. Michalko, says he’s got five people of interest then we certainly want to know who they are and we’ll take it from there,” Ward said.
Ward believes the RCMP can investigate more easily than a private investigator.
“We are professional police officers, professional investigators and major crime investigators that have been working on this for some time,” he said.
“We’ve got behaviour experts, forensic experts and DNA experts. I don’t know if the investigator has that kind of support behind him.
“I would tend to think that’s probably not the case.
“If we can get information from someone who might give us something to move the investigations forward then we’ll take it.”
In a letter to The Interior News, Michalko said not giving information to police was never his intent, and questioned why the RCMP is focusing on him and not the case.
“As a private investigator I have no power of arrest, what else would I do with the leads I obtain, other than turn them over to the police?
“I’ve been trying to say since I first became involved that there is no question that the RCMP have the training, investigative skill and recourses necessary to solve these crimes and/or missing person cases, as Staff Sgt. Ward suggests.
“So with all of this in mind, it begs the question that is on everyone’s mind, why, with all of their expertise and recourses, have the RCMP been unable to solve any of these crimes and/or missing person cases?
Ward’s comments demanding Michalko’s cooperation also rubbed the Valley Pacific Investigations P.I. the wrong way.
“In fact, finding a police officer that was willing to establish a dialogue and/or working relationship with me has been an ongoing problem from the start and it’s taken the RCMP seven months for someone to finally contact me, to establish a line of communication,” he said.
“I think Staff Sgt. Ward should turn his soap box around and give the lecture to his own members.”
Ward understands that tipsters may not want to talk to police.
“Sometimes people feel more comfortable talking to someone who’s not a police officer,” he said, adding that if these people provide information to aid in the investigation, that’s a benefit.
While up north, Michalko intends to investigate a number of the cases.
“I’m getting a fair amount of information and it’s not really specific to anyone,” he said.
“I think I’ve got some pretty good information that needs to be verified.”
Michalko has altered his initial theory on the identity of those responsible for the missing and murdered women.
“I think one person is involved in a couple murders or disappearances, but I don’t think one person is responsible for all of them,” he said.
“I think it’s just sort of a random act in some cases: somebody at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Michalko will finance his return trip with money raised by a Lower Mainland women’s group who wants to help with his search.
“We’re not talking heaps of money but money that will help with the hard costs: travel, air and car rental that makes a big difference,” he said.
Michalko will ensure flyers he’s made up are delivered to the southwest end of Prince George prior to his visit.
The flyers ask that anyone with information about the disappearances of Leah Alishia Germaine or Nicole Hoar, who went missing near Smithers, to call the police or Michalko.
He hasn’t spoken to any of the families of the missing or murdered women since his trip here this spring.
He forwarded some tips to the Prince George RCMP during his previous visit and hasn’t heard back, adding a response from police wasn’t something he expected.
Nearly six months after announcing a major review of the Highway of Tears, RCMP continue to enter data into a sophisticated computer program.
RCMP said it will allow investigators to look for connections and cross reference details of the various cases in a faster and more comprehensive manner than has previously been possible.
Eight investigators and data entry people are doing the work, which Ward describes as massive and detailed and necessary before the program can be activated.
“You can imagine that with the age of some of the files, the amount of data is huge and doing it is time consuming,” said Ward.
Previous reviews of missing persons files involved cross referencing information by hand.
There have been two major reviews, one in 1995 and another in 2004, plus at least one mini review over the years.
Seven of the nine women on the official RCMP list were missing as of 1995 and the number has now grown to nine.
The first person on the list is Monica Ignas of Terrace who was 15 when she was last seen Dec. 13, 1974 in Thornhill and the most recent one is Tamara Chipman, who was 22 when last seen Sept. 21, 2005 hitchhiking just outside of Prince Rupert.
The 1995 review followed four women disappearing in 1994 and in 1995. Two were from Prince George, one from Smithers and the fourth was Lana Derrick, who was 19 when she disappeared from the Terrace area on Oct. 7, 1995.
Ward said that when all the data is entered, investigators will have the capability to look for connections or other items of interest that may not be possible by a manual cross-referencing effort.
He isn’t sure if the program has been used for other investigations but did say its level of sophistication and ability to track information will help investigators.
“What I can tell you is that while we may not have charged anyone, we may have closed off on a number of suspects. I want to choose my words carefully here but we may have been able to eliminate people to ensure we don’t start working and write a report to Crown counsel about the wrong person,” said Ward.
Based on those earlier reviews, RCMP are not convinced there is a serial killer at work along Hwy16.
“But the guys have to keep an open mind so they don’t exclude anything,” said Ward.
One factor to consider when thinking about the possibility of a serial killer is the time span in the RCMP list. It’s been nearly 32 years since Ignas - the first person on that list - disappeared.
RCMP aren’t disclosing the criteria of why some people are on their official list and why others are not.
Ten days ago, thanks to news reports from Prince Rupert, a name surfaced that isn’t on the list - Mary Jane Hill from Kincolith.
She was 31 when her body was found in 1978 20 miles east of Prince Rupert on Hwy16.
“At this time, police suspect foul play but the incident is still under investigation,” a newspaper story at the time stated.
Hill’s daughter, Vicki Hill, now 29, was six months old when her mom was found. She wants police to go back and look at the case in light of the other disappearances and deaths.
“We’re aware of that and we’re going to wait until the review is completed to see if it fits in,” said Ward of the Hill death.
Three of the nine women on the list have since been found dead and police aren’t releasing details as to the circumstances of those deaths.
“There’s a reason those names are on the list. If the deaths were for some other reason, they would not be there,” said Ward.
The number of people - nine - on the list has also been open to debate and conjecture.
Aielah Saric-Auger isn’t on the list. She was 14 and a student at D.P. Todd Secondary School in Prince George when she went missing Feb. 2 of this year.
Her body was found east of Prince George on Feb. 10 but the nine on the list went missing on the stretch of Hwy16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
While not on the RCMP list, the teen is on a list released in June as part of a report prepared by organizers of a symposium into the missing women held in March in Prince George.
“The circumstances are different and we’re not disclosing them. It’s still under investigation,” said Ward of the Saric-Auger death.
Also on the symposium list but not on the RCMP one is Cecilia Anne Nikal from the Smithers area.
She disappeared in 1989 with the symposium report indicating she was last seen in Smithers. RCMP say she was reported missing in Vancouver.
Some reports have pegged the number of missing at more than 30, but there has never been a roster of names and circumstances attached to that figure.
Ward said people should not get the impression RCMP investigators are focusing all of their resources on their missing list.
All of those on the list are from the area between Prince Rupert and Prince George, the stretch of Hwy16 that connects them. That also creates the impression the RCMP is limiting the scope of their investigation, said Ward.
“We’re not excluding a whole bunch of other things,” said Ward of work done by investigators.
Other people who also have missing relatives elsewhere need to know police continue to work on their cases, he said.
“Sometimes, we have a real problem with the Highway of Tears and the context of it being between Prince Rupert and Prince George,” the staff sergeant continued.
And even though data from the RCMP’s missing list is still being entered into that sophisticated computer program, Ward said that doesn’t prevent investigators from working on the files.
“The major crime investigators do meet and they meet regularly to discuss cases,” he said.
© Copyright 2006 Smithers Interior News
The Interior News out of Smithers, has a lengthy piece posted on the web, suggesting Michalko’s efforts are perhaps rubbing the police investigators the wrong way. An RCMP communications officer, Sgt. John Ward is quoted in the article as stating that Ray Michalko has been warned not to reveal information and to share any leads he picks up.
“If this gentleman, Mr. Michalko, says he’s got five people of interest then we certainly want to know who they are and we’ll take it from there,” Ward said.
The nature of the file and the lack of success thus far in solving the murders, or learning more about the disappearances have many in the North on edge. It must truly be frustrating for law enforcement, which have a number of resources behind them, yet seem to not be any closer to an answer yet.
However, the appearance of a turf war over investigative methods and an obvious lack of communication between the two parities, is not going to help the families of those involved, nor the communities that continue to wonder if there is a killer living amongst them or traveling through their towns and cities.
It’s a very interesting article and gives a very good indication as to how frustrating the investigative process has become and how the Highway of Tears continues to haunt everyone from Prince Rupert through to Prince George.
Highway of Tears investigator miffed
Interior News
Smithers BC
Oct 05 2006
A private investigator looking into the cases of murdered and missing women along Hwy 16 is bristling at the suggestion he is not cooperating with police.
Staff Sgt. John Ward, an RCMP communications officer, said Ray Michalko has been warned not to reveal information and to share any leads he picks up.
“We have been in contact with the private investigator and he understands very clearly that should he have information that someone comes forward with... he should be giving us a call and we expect that to happen should he uncover something,” said Ward.
Michalko, who has been collecting leads along the highway, now dubbed the Highway of Tears, plans to come to Smithers this month to talk with tipsters and five people of interest who he believes may be able to lead him toward the solution to the decades-old mystery of who has been abducting and murdering women along the highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
“If this gentleman, Mr. Michalko, says he’s got five people of interest then we certainly want to know who they are and we’ll take it from there,” Ward said.
Ward believes the RCMP can investigate more easily than a private investigator.
“We are professional police officers, professional investigators and major crime investigators that have been working on this for some time,” he said.
“We’ve got behaviour experts, forensic experts and DNA experts. I don’t know if the investigator has that kind of support behind him.
“I would tend to think that’s probably not the case.
“If we can get information from someone who might give us something to move the investigations forward then we’ll take it.”
In a letter to The Interior News, Michalko said not giving information to police was never his intent, and questioned why the RCMP is focusing on him and not the case.
“As a private investigator I have no power of arrest, what else would I do with the leads I obtain, other than turn them over to the police?
“I’ve been trying to say since I first became involved that there is no question that the RCMP have the training, investigative skill and recourses necessary to solve these crimes and/or missing person cases, as Staff Sgt. Ward suggests.
“So with all of this in mind, it begs the question that is on everyone’s mind, why, with all of their expertise and recourses, have the RCMP been unable to solve any of these crimes and/or missing person cases?
Ward’s comments demanding Michalko’s cooperation also rubbed the Valley Pacific Investigations P.I. the wrong way.
“In fact, finding a police officer that was willing to establish a dialogue and/or working relationship with me has been an ongoing problem from the start and it’s taken the RCMP seven months for someone to finally contact me, to establish a line of communication,” he said.
“I think Staff Sgt. Ward should turn his soap box around and give the lecture to his own members.”
Ward understands that tipsters may not want to talk to police.
“Sometimes people feel more comfortable talking to someone who’s not a police officer,” he said, adding that if these people provide information to aid in the investigation, that’s a benefit.
While up north, Michalko intends to investigate a number of the cases.
“I’m getting a fair amount of information and it’s not really specific to anyone,” he said.
“I think I’ve got some pretty good information that needs to be verified.”
Michalko has altered his initial theory on the identity of those responsible for the missing and murdered women.
“I think one person is involved in a couple murders or disappearances, but I don’t think one person is responsible for all of them,” he said.
“I think it’s just sort of a random act in some cases: somebody at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Michalko will finance his return trip with money raised by a Lower Mainland women’s group who wants to help with his search.
“We’re not talking heaps of money but money that will help with the hard costs: travel, air and car rental that makes a big difference,” he said.
Michalko will ensure flyers he’s made up are delivered to the southwest end of Prince George prior to his visit.
The flyers ask that anyone with information about the disappearances of Leah Alishia Germaine or Nicole Hoar, who went missing near Smithers, to call the police or Michalko.
He hasn’t spoken to any of the families of the missing or murdered women since his trip here this spring.
He forwarded some tips to the Prince George RCMP during his previous visit and hasn’t heard back, adding a response from police wasn’t something he expected.
Nearly six months after announcing a major review of the Highway of Tears, RCMP continue to enter data into a sophisticated computer program.
RCMP said it will allow investigators to look for connections and cross reference details of the various cases in a faster and more comprehensive manner than has previously been possible.
Eight investigators and data entry people are doing the work, which Ward describes as massive and detailed and necessary before the program can be activated.
“You can imagine that with the age of some of the files, the amount of data is huge and doing it is time consuming,” said Ward.
Previous reviews of missing persons files involved cross referencing information by hand.
There have been two major reviews, one in 1995 and another in 2004, plus at least one mini review over the years.
Seven of the nine women on the official RCMP list were missing as of 1995 and the number has now grown to nine.
The first person on the list is Monica Ignas of Terrace who was 15 when she was last seen Dec. 13, 1974 in Thornhill and the most recent one is Tamara Chipman, who was 22 when last seen Sept. 21, 2005 hitchhiking just outside of Prince Rupert.
The 1995 review followed four women disappearing in 1994 and in 1995. Two were from Prince George, one from Smithers and the fourth was Lana Derrick, who was 19 when she disappeared from the Terrace area on Oct. 7, 1995.
Ward said that when all the data is entered, investigators will have the capability to look for connections or other items of interest that may not be possible by a manual cross-referencing effort.
He isn’t sure if the program has been used for other investigations but did say its level of sophistication and ability to track information will help investigators.
“What I can tell you is that while we may not have charged anyone, we may have closed off on a number of suspects. I want to choose my words carefully here but we may have been able to eliminate people to ensure we don’t start working and write a report to Crown counsel about the wrong person,” said Ward.
Based on those earlier reviews, RCMP are not convinced there is a serial killer at work along Hwy16.
“But the guys have to keep an open mind so they don’t exclude anything,” said Ward.
One factor to consider when thinking about the possibility of a serial killer is the time span in the RCMP list. It’s been nearly 32 years since Ignas - the first person on that list - disappeared.
RCMP aren’t disclosing the criteria of why some people are on their official list and why others are not.
Ten days ago, thanks to news reports from Prince Rupert, a name surfaced that isn’t on the list - Mary Jane Hill from Kincolith.
She was 31 when her body was found in 1978 20 miles east of Prince Rupert on Hwy16.
“At this time, police suspect foul play but the incident is still under investigation,” a newspaper story at the time stated.
Hill’s daughter, Vicki Hill, now 29, was six months old when her mom was found. She wants police to go back and look at the case in light of the other disappearances and deaths.
“We’re aware of that and we’re going to wait until the review is completed to see if it fits in,” said Ward of the Hill death.
Three of the nine women on the list have since been found dead and police aren’t releasing details as to the circumstances of those deaths.
“There’s a reason those names are on the list. If the deaths were for some other reason, they would not be there,” said Ward.
The number of people - nine - on the list has also been open to debate and conjecture.
Aielah Saric-Auger isn’t on the list. She was 14 and a student at D.P. Todd Secondary School in Prince George when she went missing Feb. 2 of this year.
Her body was found east of Prince George on Feb. 10 but the nine on the list went missing on the stretch of Hwy16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
While not on the RCMP list, the teen is on a list released in June as part of a report prepared by organizers of a symposium into the missing women held in March in Prince George.
“The circumstances are different and we’re not disclosing them. It’s still under investigation,” said Ward of the Saric-Auger death.
Also on the symposium list but not on the RCMP one is Cecilia Anne Nikal from the Smithers area.
She disappeared in 1989 with the symposium report indicating she was last seen in Smithers. RCMP say she was reported missing in Vancouver.
Some reports have pegged the number of missing at more than 30, but there has never been a roster of names and circumstances attached to that figure.
Ward said people should not get the impression RCMP investigators are focusing all of their resources on their missing list.
All of those on the list are from the area between Prince Rupert and Prince George, the stretch of Hwy16 that connects them. That also creates the impression the RCMP is limiting the scope of their investigation, said Ward.
“We’re not excluding a whole bunch of other things,” said Ward of work done by investigators.
Other people who also have missing relatives elsewhere need to know police continue to work on their cases, he said.
“Sometimes, we have a real problem with the Highway of Tears and the context of it being between Prince Rupert and Prince George,” the staff sergeant continued.
And even though data from the RCMP’s missing list is still being entered into that sophisticated computer program, Ward said that doesn’t prevent investigators from working on the files.
“The major crime investigators do meet and they meet regularly to discuss cases,” he said.
© Copyright 2006 Smithers Interior News
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