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Highway of Tears: 21 Years Later, Still No Answers
4 Oct
Summary
- Tamara Chipman vanished hitchhiking on Highway 16 over two decades ago.
- Family offers $10,000 reward for information on Chipman's disappearance.
- Her case is among 17 investigated by RCMP's Project E-PANA.
Tamara Lynn Chipman, aged 21, disappeared over two decades ago while hitchhiking along Highway 16 in northwestern British Columbia. Known tragically as the Highway of Tears, this route has seen numerous disappearances and murders, predominantly of Indigenous women. Chipman was last seen on September 21, 2005, heading from Prince Rupert to Terrace.
Her aunt, Lorna Brown, an executive director for Tears to Hope Society, expressed the family's enduring pain and lack of closure after 21 years. The family is now offering a $10,000 reward for any information that could shed light on Chipman's whereabouts before her disappearance. Brown believes Chipman reached Terrace before vanishing.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Project E-PANA is investigating 17 open cases along Highway 16. Staff Sergeant Ron Palta stated that while many tips have been received, corroborating evidence is required to advance Chipman's case. Foul play is suspected, and police hope to determine her final resting place and identify those responsible.
While some E-PANA cases have been linked to suspects, including serial killer Bobbie Jack Fowler, who was DNA-linked to other victims, Chipman's case remains open. Monica Jack's case, however, concluded in 2019 with the conviction of her killer. Chipman's disappearance galvanized her family into activism, supporting other MMIWG2S families and advocating for much-needed answers and societal solutions.
