Mixed message on Highway of Tears killings

Solicitor General John Les has provided some rather confusing words to the debate over the string of murders that have happened along the Highway 16 corridor over the last number of years.

Les speaking in Victoria Tuesday, at one time acknowledged that there were some signs of a possible serial killer at work along the lonely stretches of the northern highway now known as the Highway of Tears, but then backed off from any conclusions, stating that he didn't want to have any words put in his mouth.

Which pretty well leaves residents of northern BC, much where they were back in 1990 when the first murder of what now totals nine young women was reported, worried for their communities, left uninformed and concerned over an investigation that seems to yield no clues and no progress.

The RCMP had no comments on the Solicitor General's thoughts, however they did reiterate that to date, there is no common ingredient to the nine disappearances or murders to suggest a link to any serial killer behavior.

The case files are under active investigation by 15 officers across the North, while 22 Officers in Prince George have been tasked to investigate the most recent murder of a 14 year old girl, the body of which was found on the outskirts of the city in January.

Of the nine cases under investigation, eight of the victims are aboriginal, only one is non native. The common link has brought together the numerous first nation's communities of the North and Northwest, with plans for a symposium on the issue to be held in March.

It's hoped at that time that the Solicitor General and RCMP will be able to provide more comprehensive information about the cases, which date back to 1990 and how they plan on approaching the investigation.

So far the government has been reluctant to create a dedicated task force to the assorted cases, but perhaps the time to take that step has arrived. While anyone could understand the hesitancy to create more fear by suggesting a serial killer is at work, there is obviously something horrific happening along Highway 16 and all resources possible should be provided to solve the list of unsolved disappearances and murders.

The families of the victims and the numerous communities from which they come from deserve full disclosure and nothing but a full out effort from their Provincial government. Somebody in Northern BC must know something about these cases, it's time for the authorities to be given the tools to make sure that all information possible is provided to bring closure and justice for all concerned.