Why did Madison Scott die? 13 years later, there are still no answers | Newz9

For 13 years, the thriller of what occurred to Madison Scott haunted the group of Vanderhoof, B.C., which is about 80 kilometres west of Prince George and 530 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Described as a vibrant and sort 20-year-old, Scott vanished from a distant campsite in May 2011.

A dozen years later, in May 2023, her stays had been found at a rural property about 16 kilometres from the place she went lacking.

Now, one yr after the tragic discovery, there are still no answers about her disappearance and dying. 

Scott disappeared after celebrating a buddy’s birthday at Hogsback Lake, a gaggle campsite common with locals, that is roughly 25 kilometres southeast of Vanderhoof.

Scott had been texting along with her dad and mom in the course of the celebration, however they might not attain her the subsequent day. She was reported lacking on May 29, when her tent and truck had been discovered deserted on the campsite.

There had been intensive searches by air, floor, and water, utilizing helicopters, horses and all-terrain autos.

The exhaustive marketing campaign to search out Scott continued for 12 years. Missing posters with Scott’s face featured on billboards throughout northern B.C. Her household provided a $100,000 reward and there had been annual searches and worldwide media protection.

But answers about how Scott disappeared — and why she died — remained elusive. 

Then, one yr in the past this week — there was the primary break within the case: RCMP stated Scott’s stays had been discovered on a rural property, about 18 kilometres from the campsite the place she was final seen.

Police supplied no particulars, saying solely that they had been now serving a search warrant on the property. For greater than three weeks, RCMP cruisers, unmarked vans, and a white tent cover had been seen from a gravel highway close to the property.

The community mourned Scott’s dying publicly, with the municipal flag at Vanderhoof metropolis corridor lowered to half-mast. (*13*) for Scott.

And many native individuals believed the thriller surrounding Scott’s disappearance and dying would quickly be solved — and costs laid.

In an announcement posted to social media this week, the Scott household stated, “While finding Maddy has yielded some relief, it has generated many other questions that remain unsolved.

“We are perpetually grateful for the continued love and help we now have had over the past 13 years. We are unwavering in our perception that justice can be obtained.”

The RCMP declined a Newz9 interview this week. In a written statement Tuesday, RCMP North District Cpl. Madonna Saunderson said police “admire the general public’s curiosity within the case,” and hope to provide further details in the future.

Vanderhoof Mayor Kevin Moutray says he has full confidence in the RCMP.

“As we all know with police investigations, a yr is not a variety of time. They’re doing what they should do within the investigation and hopefully that may come to fruition quickly, and the justice system will do what it must do, and [we will] see some justice occur,” said Moutray.

Lynne Stuart is a women’s counsellor and executive director of the Omineca Safe Home Society in Vanderhoof, where she works with women experiencing violence.

Stuart says Scott’s death is a tragedy that’s part of a pattern of violence against women in the area. And she wants answers from police.

“What we hear from the women that we serve, and from individuals who had been mates with Madison, is only a frustration and … a lot of concern. Why did it take so lengthy to search out her?” said Stuart.

“Now there is that this disbelief — why is it still taking so lengthy? I understand these items take time however what’s disheartening is the whole lack of understanding,” she said.

In their written statement, RCMP said a special Major Crime unit is working with the Vanderhoof detachment on an investigation that remains “energetic and ongoing.”

RCMP say they “want additional assist to search out justice” and are seeking tips and new information from the public about Madison’s disappearance.