Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee. I would like to thank you for inviting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to respond to your questions today.
I am Staff Sergeant Bruce Hulan, the team commander of Project E-PANA, the investigation of murdered and missing women along northern British Columbia's Highway 16, commonly referred to in the media as the “Highway of Tears”.
I'm accompanied by Superintendent Russ Nash, officer in charge, E Division, major crime section.
As I mentioned, Project E-PANA is the investigation of murdered and missing women who are presumed to have met with foul play in northern British Columbia. The project began in the fall of 2005, and it is a long-term project designed to review, analyze, and investigate the identified files.
The mandate of the project is twofold: first, through the analysis of each of the files identified as satisfying the criteria established for the project, to determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the theory that a serial killer is responsible for a number of homicides that have occurred along Highway 16; and second, to develop and implement investigational strategies that will advance each of the files.
To meet the objectives of the mandate, Project E-PANA was developed with a three-phase approach: identification of similar-fact cases; collection and analysis of individual files; and follow-up investigation. Phases one and two are completed, and phase three, the continued investigation of individual files, has been under way since February 2009.
In an effort to meet the mandate of the project and determine whether a serial killer is responsible for a number of the offences, the search criteria were established to identify files that would be reviewed by the project team. The criteria are as follows: the victim was female; the victim was engaged in behaviour that placed them at risk, such as hitchhiking, drug use, or prostitution, which exposed them to the control of a stranger or suspect; the victim went missing from or was found along one of the major highways in northern British Columbia--Highway 16, Highway 97, or Highway 5.
Several RCMP databases were accessed to identify the files for review: the violent crime linkage analysis system (ViCLAS), the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), and the police information retrieval system (PIRS), to name a few.
As a result of the database searches, 13 homicide cases and five missing person cases were identified for review by the project. The 18 investigations span a timeframe from 1969 to 2006 and cover a geographic area from Prince Rupert in the northwest of British Columbia; Kamloops and Merritt to the south; and Hinton, Alberta, to the east. In seven of the homicide cases, the victim is aboriginal. Six of the homicide cases identified the victim as Caucasian. Of the five missing person cases, three of the victims are aboriginal and two are Caucasian.
Very early in the creation of this project it was evident that some victims' family members were feeling disconnected from the police investigation. A commitment was made to the family members to conduct regular meetings with them in order to provide updates on the status of the investigation. Superintendent Nash and I continue to have regular meetings with the families, as a group, at which we provide them with project updates and endeavour to answer any questions they may have. There have been seven family meetings since March 2006, and at one meeting we invited the families to our project headquarters in Vancouver and let them tour the facility and meet the team.
The staffing of Project E-PANA is made up of regular members of the RCMP, investigators, forensic specialists, public service employees, and temporary civilian employees. The project maintains a staffing level of approximately 75 people, which can fluctuate based on the demands of the time and because of internal movement. The majority of the staff are located in metro Vancouver, but there are also dedicated resources based in Prince George.
We have sufficient resources to meet the demands of each and every case. We are also confident in our ability to draw in additional resources should they be required to meet investigational needs.
A significant focus of Project E-PANA has been the sharing of information with detachment personnel in the province as well as information exchange with similar-mandated projects, Project Evenhanded and Project KARE in Alberta. We have even worked with Washington State police, given their proximity to British Columbia.
Many of the detachments in B.C.'s jurisdiction where these offences have occurred are limited duration posts and see a regular rotation of personnel. Many of the personnel with direct knowledge of these offences are now working elsewhere.
To develop and enhance the knowledge level of current detachment personnel, the project has created an internal website that documents case histories, among other things, and explains how to report any new information to the project. Members of the project also conduct information sessions at detachments and district commander meetings.
I have provided you with a very brief explanation of some of the initiatives being carried out through our investigation. We'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.