The BC Coroners Service launched an online tool which allows the public to access information about nearly 200 active cases involving unidentified human remains.
“The unidentified human remains (UHR) interactive viewer is a web-mapping application containing spatial, temporal and statistical information on every active, unsolved UHR investigation in the province,” stated a news release from the Ministry of Public Safety. “There are currently just under 200 unsolved and active cases involving unidentified human remains in B.C. Most of these involve cold cases, with the earliest dating back to 1953.”
There is one file in the Nicola Valley. A man’s body was discovered on July 6, 2004. Information on the UHR tool states that the man was between 30 to 50 years old, and the remains were discovered three to six years after he died (listed as maximum and minimum post-mortem interval, or PMI, on the mapping tool).
According to the approximate location on the UHR map, the body was discovered west of Merritt off Lindley Creek Road.
“By reaching out and engaging members of the public with the launch of this innovative tool, it’s our hope to gain new investigative leads that will lead to the identification of these unidentified individuals and bring closure to their families,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner.
The viewer provides a visual overview of the approximate location where the remains were found, case numbers for contact purposes and a summary of the key information related to each unresolved case in B.C.
To access the UHR map, click here.
