Michele Pineault holds the remains of her daughter, Stephanie Lane, that were found on serial killer Robert Pickton’s farm, during a news conference in Vancouver on Jan. 28, 2015.Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
The mother of a young woman whose remains were found on serial killer Robert Pickton's farm says new charges should be laid in her daughter's death – a request that was quickly turned down by the Crown.
Stephanie Lane, described by family as the happy and exuberant mother of an eight-month-old son, disappeared in January, 1997. She was 20. The family was notified in March, 2003, that her DNA had been found on the Port Coquitlam farm.
The remains or DNA of 33 women in all were found there. Mr. Pickton's trial covered the deaths of six women, all of whom he was convicted of killing. A second trial involving 20 other women he was charged with killing did not proceed, with the Crown reasoning that Mr. Pickton had already received the maximum prison sentence.
Ms. Lane was among seven women whose DNA was found on the farm but for whom Mr. Pickton would not have stood trial.
Michele Pineault, Ms. Lane's mother, told reporters Wednesday she'd been under the impression there was not enough evidence to charge Mr. Pickton in her daughter's death. She questioned that claim, however, based on recent discussions with the B.C. Coroners Service.
She said she was initially told her daughter's DNA had been found on the lining of a freezer. However, she said the coroner contacted her out of the blue last summer and told her it had two pieces of bone fragment, or vertebrae, that it wanted to return. Ms. Pineault said she believed the bone fragments should be enough evidence to warrant charges.
"Being told they had only found DNA, and not enough to charge Pickton with – two pieces of her vertebrae was certainly enough to charge him with," she said, adding: "I have no justice for my daughter."
Neil MacKenzie, a spokesman for the Criminal Justice Branch, said in an interview that while the Crown regrets the pain Ms. Lane's family has endured, prosecutors will not proceed with any new charges or prosecutions against Mr. Pickton.
"The branch has consistently taken the position … that we will not pursue any additional prosecutions of Robert Pickton, given that his six murder convictions were upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada and he's, as a result, received the maximum sentence available in Canada," he said.
Mr. MacKenzie said all the evidence collected by police had been known to the Crown. The B.C. Coroners Service echoed that point, writing in a statement that the remains discussed at the news conference did not constitute new evidence. It said the remains were fully identified during the police investigation.
Why the existence of the bone fragments was not known by Ms. Lane's family remains unclear.
Ms. Pineault also criticized the coroner and the RCMP for the length of time it took to return her daughter's remains. She said police turned the remains over to the coroner in 2010, after which they sat in storage for years.
The coroner said the delay was "unfortunate" and apologized for the stress it caused. It said it could not offer a detailed explanation, because none of the current members of its senior management team were in their positions at the time.
Sergeant Rob Vermeulen, an RCMP spokesman, said the remains were turned over to the coroner in 2010, after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Mr. Pickton's appeal and the Crown decided against further prosecutions. He said the force had not been aware of any delays in returning the remains.
Lorelei Williams, whose cousin Tanya Holyk was among the 20 women whose cases would have been covered in the second trial, was at Ms. Pineault's side during the news conference. She asked how many other loved ones remain in storage lockers.
"This is an example of why we need a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls across Canada," Ms. Williams said.
The RCMP last year released a report on missing and murdered aboriginal women. Between 1980 and 2012, the report said, there were 1,017 aboriginal victims of homicide and 164 who remained missing.
The Conservative government has dismissed calls for a public inquiry, arguing enough research has been done on the matter and action is what's needed.