‘No justice’: Fight continues to preserve evidence following Robert Pickton’s death

Nearly a month after his death, the case of B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton is still in the courts as the battle continues over RCMP plans to dispose of the 14,000 to 15,000 exhibits.

Pickton was killed in a Quebec prison last month, which means it is now even more crucial to preserve thousands of exhibits in the case, say the victims’ families, who are demanding RCMP withdraw their application to destroy the items.

“There is no justice for us,” Lorelei Williams, Tanya Holyk’s cousin told Global News. “With them trying to destroy evidence, brush it under the rug, nobody else has been held accountable for this.”

Williams’ cousin, Tanya Holyk’s DNA was found on Pickton’s farm but her case was stayed along with 32 others.

Pickton, the only person ever convicted in the case, was found guilty of six counts of second-degree murder in 2007 for Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Marnie Frey, Brenda Wolfe and Georgina Papin.

2:22 Notorious serial killer Robert Pickton is dead

The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry determined there could be dozens of other victims with all those cases unsolved.

“These are effectively cold cases,” Sue Brown with Justice for Girls said. “Other jurisdictions keep them open (for) 80 to 100 years and I have to ask why RCMP (is) seeking to dispose of this evidence a mere 20 years after the farm was searched.”

The RCMP previously told Global News that the exhibits hold no evidentiary value. The court does not have the power to order the RCMP to further investigate other potential suspects, but the government does, Justice for Girls said.

“Our hope is RCMP will withdraw their applications to dispose of the evidence and that Minister (Mike) Farnworth will commit to calling an investigation into the unsolved missing women’s cases,” Brown said.

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— with files from Rumina Daya