Dead Oregon man could be linked to Calgary woman missing for 9 years

ABOVE WATCH: The shooting death of a man in Oregon may be connected to a young Calgary woman who went missing without a trace in Las Vegas in 2006.

CALGARY – An Oregon man shot dead by a prostitute in West Virginia on Saturday is now being investigated in connection with a number of unsolved cases, including one that involves a Calgary woman.

A 21^st birthday trip to Las Vegas turned into a permanent move for Jessie Foster nine years ago. Just months after she settled in, Foster stopped calling home, quit using her credit cards and her bank account went idle. She’s been missing ever since.

“I do believe Jessie is alive,” said her mother, Glendene Grant on Friday. “But I want answers, and not only the ones I wanted. I will accept what happened to Jessie and I will go on.”

For the past 10 years, Foster’s family has been dealing with uncomfortable details about their daughter’s life in Las Vegas. She had been arrested twice for prostitution—something her family is convinced she was seduced into unwillingly.

Sporadic leads have kept her mother clinging to hope. The investigation into Oregon’s Neal Falls is the latest. He’s also under investigation for a number of other unsolved cases involving women in Nevada.

“If this is what he was doing 10 years ago, there is a possibility,” said Grant. “I don’t believe she’s dead, but if she is, it is more likely this type of person that did something to her.”

Police uncovered a machete, shovel, axes, knives, handcuffs and a bottle of bleach inside Falls’ vehicle, along with a list of names of escorts. That evidence has led police to believe he may be linked to the disappearances.

Although separated, Foster’s parents travelled to Las Vegas years ago in a desperate effort to find any trace of their daughter. They handed out missing persons posters and approached people on the street to ask if she’d been spotted.

Foster’s father respectfully declined an interview with Global News on Friday. He said he’s consumed with depression and tortured by the unanswered questions. The last time he felt comfortable going public was eight years ago in an interview with Global News in his Calgary home.

“The dark thoughts come in — you close your eyes for a few minutes — and your thoughts invariably go to — my daughter,” he said. “I don’t even want to think about it, okay? Because those are the thoughts that rip you to pieces.”

Grant said Friday she’s trying to stay strong.

“I am never going to give up looking for Jessie. The love for her grows.”

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