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.

Alberni Valley Times, February 2, 2022 (Chris Bush)

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:

1. provided the exact location of Lisa's remains, and,
2. would be willing to identify themselves and testify in open court.

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.

🛈 This isn't finished. This incomplete version of this page has been uploaded as a "placeholder".

There is more to this story, much of it available online with the lisamarieyoung.ca search page, or within Lisa's Wikipedia page, the 100's of media articles and dozens of privately-produced podcasts discussing Lisa's "disappearance".