File:Island-Crime-Season-1-Update-2020-Summer-of-Hope.mp3

Summary

Island Crime podcast Season 1, Update: 2020 Summer of Hope

Laura Palmer (Aug 19, 2020) (Previous) (Next)

source: https://island-crime.simplecast.com/episodes/update-2020-summer-of-hope

youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJV4LJWwhs8 (Posted Aug 19, 2020)

archive: https://archive.org/download/island-crime-lisa-marie-young/island%20crime%20s1e08b%20update%202020%20summer%20of%20hope.mp3

[Reproduced under Copyright Act (Canada) s.29.2 — Fair Dealing for the purpose of news reporting]

Transcript

[Auto-generated transcript – Contains errors]

Update: 2020 Summer of Hope (August 19, 2020)

it's early in the morning I'm walking my dog on the trail it's our normal routine but my senses are on high alert two cougars were shot nearby recently and I've seen a black bear a few times I hear something large in the dense forest nearby and pick up the pace I almost don't see it at first but there on the path in front of me is a leg a deer's leg freshly torn it's a startling and unsettling moment I love seeing the deer out in the wild black-tailed deer are native to this area and there are many young deer around I've watched them leaping through the forest elegant and graceful full of beauty and life and of course the deer leg reminds me of psychic Norm Pratt's discovery of the bones in the woods all those years ago norm thought he was close to finding Lisa.

It's summer 2020. I'm still searching for answers searching for Lisa

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I'm Laura Palmer and you're listening to where is Lisa Island Crime season one I was a producer in a big city newsroom for decades now I live on an island and I'm digging into stories I now have time to tell this is an update on the no longer cold case of Lisa Marie Young it's June 30th the 18th anniversary of Lisa Marie Young's disappearance I wake to a headline that takes my breath away skeletal remains found near port place in downtown Nanaimo Constable Gary O'Brien tells the Nanaimo news now that police are currently conducting a grid search of the area for further information quote it was basically found skeletal remains BC Coroner's Service has been advised we do not suspect foul play but it's too early to rule that out police have not been able to confirm the age or gender of the remains or how long they have been there but said it appeared the remains have been there for some time my inbox is filling with messages from Lisa's friends could this be Lisa I call the Nanaimo police while I wait to hear back from them I try the corner their office tells me any information will have to come from the police but they send me a link for a new service the BC Coroner's office has just created a map of all the unidentified human remains on the west coast there are 200 cases of unidentified remains the number floors me who are these people I'm holding on to a hope that this could be it but Lisa's family will finally be able to bring her home but I also know it's a long shot these remains have been found right in the city near a bus loop I can't believe that Lisa could have been here so close for all this time and then a note from Constable O'Brien it's not Lisa the remains belong to a male

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this summer has been an absolute roller coaster ride for those who love Lisa Marie Young big highs big lows but there is nothing thrilling about any of this surprisingly though there is some joy true crime stories aren't typically places where you find beauty and light but there are reasons for hope in Lisa's case now and so here in the midst of summer 2020 I'm updating Lisa's story with some positive news when I first began researching Lisa's case I went down a few deep rabbit holes of sub-reddit posts and the like in one such exploration I found something called the city without pity in discussing Lisa's story back then people talked about how dark and even heartless Lisa's hometown seems to be how the conspiracy of silence and the lack of political will felt like the community had turned its back on Lisa

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well that changed this summer on June 28 2020 the mayor of Nanaimo Leonard Krog declared it justice for Lisa Marie Young day an official citywide recognition in Lisa's honour and he quietly delivered the official proclamation into the hands of Lisa's father Don Young June 28th is also the day of the annual March for Justice for Lisa this year it's a sparkling sunny day my niece drives up from the other side of the island to join me in the march I've made a signs with pictures of Lisa on them printed on bright lime green paper Lisa's favourite color and they're adorned with lime green ribbon and glitter before too long I see Lisa's auntie Carol Frank and her grandma Cecilia Arnette they have a t-shirt for me with Lisa's picture on it it's the time of the pandemic the organizers of the walk consider cancelling but they decide to go ahead urging social distancing everyone is wearing masks local media well they're here too wearing masks for safety and signs pleading for justice for Lisa Marie young a large crowd gathers at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment to warm up this cold case on the grim anniversary of when it all started everything we're doing is trying to get some brave people in our community to come forward I look across to see a reporter interviewing politician Sheila Malcolmson the local member of the legislative assembly having a political presence here to show her support is huge for the family the march draws about a hundred people it begins outside the police station with indigenous drumming and prayers one of the RCMP investigators on Lisa's case is here she's keeping a low profile dressed in shorts and a t-shirt on this warm summer day she comes over to say hi and helps me with my poster the wind is wreaking havoc with the lightweight ribbons it's a super gusty day tough to gather sound after songs and prayers we wind our way down to the waterfront stopping on the bridge for a few minutes I look across and see the parents of another young woman who was murdered not so long ago in this community Makayla Chang's parents are here to lend their support as well after the march the family gathers for a picnic down by the edge of the ocean children play in a nearby park I see Cyndy Hall the organizer of Lisa's Facebook advocacy group handing out skittles Lisa's favourite candy Lisa's dad Don Young sits with his late wife Joanne's family happily chatting and enjoying the sunshine his adult son robin is nearby this is Lisa's brother who has a developmental disability the brother Lisa wanted to support and plan to care for it's the first time I've met him Cyndy and I talked for a while she is smiling upbeat happy with the turnout and with all of the renewed attention on Lisa's case over the next few days Lisa Marie Young is back in the local headlines with stories of the march the proclamation and the anniversary itself and this year the lights on for Lisa event draws supporters from far beyond the community hundreds of people light candles hang Christmas lights and share images online Lisa's friend the singer Allison Crowe begins the tributes on the east coast of Canada with soft green lights glowing outside her home that night here on this coast Lisa's friends gather around Nanaimo's historic bastion it too is lit for Lisa lime green Lisa's favourite color is everywhere

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before long Lisa's Facebook page normally filled with sombre notes and cries for justice is literally flooded with light the community's support is heartwarming and it's more than that it's pressure and it's working here is local MLA Sheila Malcolmson rising on the floor of the BC legislature and speaking about Lisa remember Lisa Marie Young was last seen in Nanaimo 18 years ago as my girlfriend said this morning I could have been Lisa I was Lisa a lot of us in our eight teens or early twenties uh took a late night ride after a party with maybe someone that wasn't the best idea um it family never stopped looking for her her family from Tofino to lochweat family came out and searched week after week year after year in Nanaimo Parksville Qualicum Lisa's mom Joanne organized a march in Lisa's memory for 16 years straight until Joanne's death in 2018. Joanne's father, Lisa's grandfather, Moses thinks his daughter died of heartache if you're in Nanaimo you can still see the posters Lisa Marie Young last seen June 30th 2002 we know more now as a country as a province about the tragic epidemic of murdered and missing indigenous women and we hear so often in these disappearances somebody knows something there's never been an arrest her body has never been found you can act in support of her family you can join this year's march her grandfather Moses her Aunt Carol invite you all physically distanced wearing masks in groups less than 49. uh you can contact Corporal Markus Muntener at the RCMP 250-755-3223 if you know something and you can listen to the podcast that's had huge take up it's called Where Is Lisa and Laura Palmer is the journalist all these actions are a way to keep Lisa Marie's memory alive to support her brave family and to jar our community's memory and the recognition doesn't come just from on high just a few weeks after the march a grassroots community organization steps up they have identified funds and a local indigenous artist to paint a mural in Lisa's hometown of Nanaimo the community is wholeheartedly embracing Lisa's story

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18 years after her death Lisa Marie young is the talk of the town I now regularly hear from people who knew her there's a bittersweet note from a guy who knew Lisa in high school he had a crush on her and people are sharing their connections with Lisa they used to see her at a bus stop she babysat their children they worked with her at McDonald's and there are unintended impacts as well in this podcast I identified the driver of the red jag a person of interest in Lisa's case as Christopher William Adair but there is another Christopher Adair, an arborist who happens to run a tree service on the island his wife calls me what should they do they're worried people will believe her husband is mixed up somehow. I feel for these folks it is unfortunate to share the same name with someone of notoriety for the record the Christopher Kenneth Adair who owns a tree service is not in any way connected to Lisa's disappearance

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and most importantly in all of this of course the renewed interest in Lisa's case is also reinvigorating the investigation now far from cold Lisa's case is indeed heating up this summer

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I speak with Corporal Markus Muntener once again he's the lead on Lisa's case he tells me they have received fresh information more tips are coming in and they are conducting new interviews

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I learn they have spoken with the woman I talked to in episode 7 the woman who worked at The Jungle the night Lisa disappeared

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but clearly those who hold the most valuable information those who know where Lisa's remains will be found those who have critical evidence about what happened the night Lisa disappeared are still reluctant to come forward

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Lisa's friends worry these people will never step up to the police and that something as public as a Facebook group won't work either so there is now also an email for Lisa and an appeal for anonymous tips

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if you have information and you won't talk to the police and you won't talk to me there is now another option whereislisayoung@outlook.com

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so a lot is happening and behind the scenes under the surface more over the months I've chipped away at Lisa's case I've talked to a few PI's but now a new investigator has taken a serious interest he's experienced a former RCMP officer and he's persistent at times calling me multiple times a day he won't go on the record not yet I also learn another podcast listener who is well connected is on the case now too making discrete inquiries opening doors I can't get to at the beginning of my research into Lisa's story I spoke with Lisa's great uncle terry Lowe he's a paramedic who lives on the other side of the country I wanted to get some background on the family and he generously offered to help fill in the blanks a story he told me on that phone call remained with me hello is this terry yes it is hi terry and feels especially relevant this summer the weekend that Lisa went missing I was at work at an ambulance station somewhere in the Durham region and it was a nice day it was beautiful beautiful weekend sun was bright and at this station there was a bit of an anomaly that they had crows there was always these crows around and closed being such a mystical bird anyway um every time I would move this thing would hop around and look at me from a different perspective so they ended up befriending it and I would take crackers and put out in the curve and the thing would come down after I went away and would eat these crackers so it was kind of a unique experience that way however one morning I went up to the end out of the ambulance station and there were no clothes and I opened the door walked out and then something peculiar happened a single feather fell from the sky and landed at my feet what did that mean for you terry change um you know I thought the whole experience was quite odd in fact I relayed that to my wife later that day and I brought the feather home because it was such a unique experience to have this thing come scrolling down and landing just almost on my boot and it wasn't long after that um two days later that we received a phone call from um don to say that Lisa had been missing call it mystical call it kindred call it whatever but I still have that feather today with this picture that lone feather arriving as it did on the day Lisa disappeared symbolized change for terry all those years ago and change is most certainly in the air once again this summer Lisa's friends have started a new campaign this pandemic summer of 2020 there are lime green face masks with a butterfly hovering over the words justice for Lisa I think of Lisa alone in the car calling her friend come get me they won't let me leave her last words to Dallas pleading helpless and as desperate and tragic as Lisa's story was 18 years ago I can't help but feel strengthened by all of the activity happening this summer in Lisa's name this is the summer of hope

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I've heard from some listeners including my 87 year old mum that the fact that Lisa's story has no ending is unsatisfying worse it leaves you feeling frustrated I understand and I share those feelings but I would say this at the outset I thought I would simply report on the facts of an 18 year old cold case as you now know Lisa's case is anything but cold there is no ending but there is movement I will update Lisa's story when there is new information and now I'm beginning work on season two another island story this one also offers the possibility of unearthing fresh information and finding justice in the meantime if you want to stay on top of developments and support Lisa's family and friends you can follow along in the Lisa Marie Young Facebook group it's a great community of committed people who care about Lisa

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I have a request, please do take a moment to rate and review this podcast. Those reviews really do help listeners find the podcast and keep Lisa's story front and centre.

Big thanks for listening.

I'm Laura Palmer and this is Island Crime.

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