Private Eye following up on leads in Highway of Tears cases

The private detective who has taken the Highway of Tears case up as his cause, is said to be following up on what he describes as serious leads into one of the mysterious cases on the file.

Ray Michalko, a former Mountie who now works as a private investigator is expected to return to the North in the next couple of weeks to follow up on the information he has received about three men, which he calls people of interest and their connection to one of the women killed in one of the the cases that have haunted the Northwest since 1989.

Here are more details on the development from the canada.com website.

Highway of Tears private eye probing 9 cases has serious tips on 1 death

Dirk Meissner
Canadian Press
Monday, September 11, 2006

VICTORIA (CP) - A private detective probing nine unsolved cases of missing and murdered women along the so-called Highway of Tears in northern B.C. says he's received what he calls serious information about one case.

Ray Michalko, a former Manitoba and North Vancouver RCMP officer who started pursuing the Highway of Tears cases on his own for free, says he'll be in the Prince George area next month checking the information.

Michalko said the tip involves three people and their possible connection to the death of one woman. He wouldn't say which one of the nine women the tip involved.

"These three, I think, probably, have a criminal background," he said. "They may be there or they may be in jail. They're somewhere up north, I think."

Michalko said he wants to talk to people who know the trio and after that will decide if he should contact the police or approach the three people on his own.

"First, I want to talk to the people that know them and may have some information," he said. "Depending on what information I get I may talk to them directly or I may go to the police. I don't know at this stage."

Nine women - aged between 14 and 27 - have disappeared or were murdered along Highway 16 between 1989 and last February.

All but one were aboriginal; most were hitchhiking at the time. The highway stretches more than 750 kilometres from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

Michalko, 58, said he's been in the Prince George area once this year and his efforts have resulted in calls from people who believe they have information about the cases.
Since his last visit, a Vancouver women's group volunteered anonymously to pay Michalko's expenses.

"I have the names of five people, I'd rather call them people of interest, rather than suspects because I think suspects is a little harsh," he said

"Two of them are names that I've been given as a result of phone calls I've received. They're sort of a long shot as far as their involvement is concerned," said Michalko. "There's three others that I think are more serious, according to what I've been told."

He said he has a list of up to seven people who may have information about the three people.
Among the missing or dead women along the highway since 1989 are Aielah Saric-Auger, 14, Tamara Chipman, 22, Lana Derrick, 19, Ramona Wilson, 15, Delphine Nikal, 15, Roxanna Thiara, 15, Aleisha Germaine, 15, Alberta Williams, 27, and Nicole Hoar, 25. Only Hoar, who has been missing for four years, is non-native.

Aboriginal groups and others in the north believe the number of missing people could be as high as 30.

An RCMP spokesman said they are aware of Michalko and expect a meeting in the future.
"We're going to sit down and talk to Ray just to make sure that the lines of communication are open," said RCMP Sgt. John Ward, who recalls serving with Michalko at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment.

"I don't see that this is going to be a problem," Ward said.

The Mounties have met privately with the families of the missing and murdered women since an emotional gathering in Prince George last March where aboriginals called for help solving the cases and preventing further tragedies.

"We have a review team that's collecting all the files that are connected to the so-called Highway of Tears," Ward said. "It will assist us to see if we've missed anything."

A member of a Prince George area aboriginal council said the Mounties appear to have increased their efforts to solve the Highway of Tears deaths since the symposium last March.

But much of that is likely a result of public pressure, said Coun. Rena Zatorski of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation.

"Damn rights it is," she said. "Of course it is. They were embarrassed. They still are embarrassed and they should be embarrassed."

The Highway of Tears is a small piece of a bigger problem that aboriginals face across Canada, she said. Aboriginal women's groups estimate there's more than 500 missing and murdered aboriginal people throughout Canada.

"Maybe it's going to take a private investigator to make more headway than the RCMP," Zatorski said.

© The Canadian Press 2006