RCMP failed to proactively publicize Lisa's case

From lisamarieyoung.ca

Summary

RCMP failed to proactively publicize Lisa's case or otherwise raise awareness of her disappearance. It was, instead, Lisa's parents who informed the media and continued to keep people talking about Lisa using various methods including posters, media interviews, billboards, and annual walks, for decades.

Detail

headline: Parents fear daughter the victim of foul play
Nanaimo Daily News, July 4, 2002 (Paul Walton)[1]
Lisa's family have also begun their own search.
Nanaimo Daily News, July 5, 2002 (Paul Walton)[2]

RCMP made no media statement related to Lisa's disappearance until after Lisa's family, frustrated with the lack of police concern, reported her disappearance to local newspapers. Updates provided to the media were generally only reactive to journalist inquiries.

Lisa's parents first contacted the Nanaimo Daily News, and reporter Paul Walton rushed over to interview the Youngs.[3]

The next morning, Lisa's disappearance was the headline.[1] Paul authored more articles about Lisa's story than any other journalist, with at least two dozen published stories, not counting syndication.[2]

Nothing's come up that would suggest foul play, we just don't know where she is. Const. Murray Conway
Nanaimo Daily News, July 4, 2002 (Paul Walton)[1]
Muntener: there have been 'numerous' searches for Young conducted in the past year due to new information. 'we have more of those searches planned in the future at some point.'
RCMP Cpl. Markus Muntener
Lead Investigator assigned to Lisa's case
CHEK News, June 26, 2021 (Nicholas Pescod)[4]

More recently, the RCMP set up two press conferences, but they were reactively aligned with pre-existing plans by the family to proceed with their annual "Walk for Lisa" which would start at the Nanaimo RCMP detachment.[5][6][4][7]

Missing posters
Some of the "missing" posters produced by Lisa's family and others.[8]

In 2003, two officers from the Nanaimo detachment showed up at Lisa's parents' home, warning Don they would charge him with obstruction of justice if he pursued media coverage. RCMP said they did not want the Young's interfering with the integrity of the RCMP.[9]


Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Paul Walton, Nanaimo Daily News (July 4, 2002), Parents fear daughter the victim of foul play ndn20020704
  2. 2.0 2.1 Paul Walton, Nanaimo Daily News (July 5, 2002), City woman's whereabouts still unknown ndn20020705
  3. Allison Crowe Native Women's Association of Canada (May 1, 2015), Story Telling - Lisa Marie Young nw20150501
  4. 4.0 4.1 Nicholas Pescod, CHEK News (June 26, 2021), Nanaimo RCMP plead for more information regarding disappearance of Lisa Marie Young cn20210626
  5. RCMP Press Release (June 25, 2021), Update on Lisa Marie Young missing person investigation (ARCHIVED COPY — the original document was in 2023 removed from the RCMP website) rc20210625
  6. Darron Kloster, Times Colonist (June 24, 2021), March to mark 19th anniversary of Nanaimo woman's disappearance tc20210624
  7. Eric Plummer, Ha-Shilth-Sa (July 2, 2021), 'Bring peace to Lisa': Investigators seek missing link hss20210702
  8. CaseWarriors, Missing Poster: Lisa Marie Young (Source)
  9. Ruth Olgilvie, Ha-Shilth-Sa (Aug 14, 2003), Investigation for missing woman frustrates family hss20030814