RCMP interference made large private reward unattainable
Summary
After a meeting with the lead RCMP investigator, conditions were added to a US$50,000 private reward, which essentially rendered the reward unattainable.
Details
On February 1, 2022, an administrator of the "Lisa Marie Young" Facebook group was contacted by an anonymous American offering a US$50,000 reward for resolution to Lisa's case. The benefactor had learned of Lisa's story by listening to the Island Crime podcast.
The reward was immediately discussed in the Facebook group, and initially, there were no specific attached conditions. Group members were informed that the funds would soon be sent to group admin Cyndy Hall to hold "in trust".
The next day, a meeting took place between Carol Frank, Cyndy Hall, and lead RCMP investigator Markus Muntener. Afterwards, it was announced that the reward would only be paid out to someone who:
- provided the exact location of Lisa's remains, and,
- would be willing to identify themselves and testify in open court.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
It is believed that the lead investigator encouraged Lisa's family members to add these conditions.
After 20 years and 800+ tips from the public, it may be counterproductive to add new conditions that make it less likely that an informant would come forward, especially by denying the ability for informants to remain anonymous.
This essentially rendered the reward unattainable.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chris Bush, Alberni Valley Times (Feb 2, 2022),
$50,000 reward offered for location of missing Vancouver Island woman's remains
avt20220202 - ↑ Laura Palmer, Island Crime (June 28, 2022),
s1e11: Red Jag Guy #2
ic20220628-111 - ↑ Chris Bush, Nanaimo News Bulletin (Feb 2, 2022),
$50,000 reward offered for location of missing Nanaimo woman's remains
nnb20220202 - ↑ Chris Bush, Van Isle Free Daily (Feb 2, 2022),
$50,000 reward offered for location of missing Nanaimo woman's remains
vif20220202 - ↑ Denise Titian, Ha-Shilth-Sa (Feb 3, 2022),
Anonymous donor posts $50,000 reward for information on Lisa Marie Young
hss20220203 - ↑ Denise Titian, Ha-Shilth-Sa (Feb 10, 2022),
$50K reward for Lisa Marie information
hss20220210 - ↑ Andrew Garland, CTV News (Feb 10, 2022),
$50K reward offered to locate missing Nanaimo woman's remains
ctv20220210 - ↑ Victoria Buzz (Feb 22, 2022),
$50,000 reward being offered for whereabouts of Island woman missing two decades ago
vb20220222