Sandra Gagnon's sister Janet Henry disappeared from the Downtown Eastside in 1997.
Photograph by: submitted, for the TIMES
BY AMY STEELE, THE TIMES
AUGUST 3, 2010
Sandra Gagnon fears that she will never find out what happened to her younger sister who went missing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in 1997.
Worse yet the Maple Ridge woman fears police will find her sister's remains but her killer won't have to go on trial.
Her sister Janet Henry is one of 68 women whose photo appeared on a police poster seeking information about women with high-risk lifestyles who had gone missing from the Downtown Eastside. Henry wasn't one of the women whose DNA was found on Robert (Willie) Pickton's farm but Pickton told police he murdered 49 women. So far police have charged Pickton with the murder of 33 women, 32 of them were women whose faces appeared on the poster. That could still leave 16 more women whom he killed and whom police haven't found.
Pickton was convicted of killing six women and the Supreme Court rejected an appeal of the decision on Friday. A Crown spokesperson told the media the Crown doesn't expect to proceed with a trial against him on additional murder charges.
Gagnon said she's spent years fighting to find out what happened to her sister.
"It's heart-reaching to me because if we ever find Janet there's nothing," said Gagnon.
Gagnon said she still thinks of her sister "all the time."
"I think to myself maybe, just maybe the police are going to come to my place and say they found her DNA. Now I'm just thinking if they come nothing's going to happen anyway but at least we'll know and we can have a memorial," she said.
Her sister's disappearance has ravaged her family. Her brother Lance attended Pickton's court case daily and one night he came home after court and had a heart attack. Gagnon blames the stress and emotional and psychological pain of the trial for his death.
Meanwhile, Gagnon has suffered regular panic attacks and her doctor says she has post traumatic stress disorder.
Three weeks ago she thought she was having a heart attack but it turned out it was a panic attack triggered by hearing the sound of a wood chipper outside her house.
She describes her sister as a "loving, compassionate, caring person."
"She was very giving. She loved her daughter very much. Her daughter was her best friend and even before Janet went missing she said to me I want to straighten my life out so I can see (her daughter) more," she said.
Gagnon said she also feels some relief that she won't have to hear more horrible details about Pickton's alleged murders in a subsequent trial.
Inspector Gary Shinkaruk, team leader of the Joint Missing Women's Task Force, said the physical search on two of Pickton's properties, as well as a third area, has concluded. However, he stressed there are scientific advances being made all the time and more DNA evidence could be found.
"It was a very comprehensive search for DNA," he said. "The evidence is extremely small, microscopic and there's been advances in technology so the amount we needed to make positive DNA matches we require less than we required before," he said.
He said police are still examining some exhibits.
He emphasized that police have not concluded the investigation into the missing women, including Janet Henry, where no DNA has been found.
"Pickton has told us he killed 49 women and we do not disbelieve that," said Shinkaruk.
Shinkaruk said the task force is also investigating eight deaths of missing women they believe were committed to two serial killers other than Pickton but haven't arrested anyone yet.
"We're certainly attempting to be as open and honest with all the families at this point. We currently have officers going out along with victim services people to a large number of families across Canada and the United States," he said. "Certainly it's been a long haul for them as we can all appreciate... We're extremely committed to still looking for (the missing women). We remain active."
He said there are more than 50 people who are still with the task force.
"It's tragic and it's horrific," said Shinkaruk of what investigators have learned during the investigation.
"When you think that there's individuals out there that are preying on arguably the most helpless or defenseless of our society... It's just unbelievably sad and shocking."
Gagnon said despite all the pain she's suffered, "I'm doing well in my life."
She is working at the Kanaka Creek Lodge with seniors and loves the job.
"I can tell you one thing. He's not going to pull me down. I'm going to keep going," she said.
© Copyright (c) Maple Ridge Times
