S5 E55 The Mission Skull

June 27, 2025·31 min·1 clip

Eve Lazarus investigates the 30-year cold case of a partial skull found in a Mission, BC slough in 1995 — a woman never identified, now believed to be Robert Pickton's first victim. The episode traces the gruesome discovery, the forensic efforts to reconstruct Jane Doe's face, and the devastating systemic failures that left dozens of mostly Indigenous women vulnerable to Pickton. Interviews with retired Detective Constable Alex Clark and RCMP Major Crimes investigator Wayne Clary illuminate both the scale of the original investigation (374 suspects, 720 missing women's DNA profiles) and the hope that forensic genetic genealogy may finally give Jane Doe her name back.

As heard by us

A grim Canadian cold case, told with restraint and a clear sense of purpose.

A partial skull found in a Mission slough sends this episode into a grim Canadian cold case, one that moves from forgotten remains to the Robert Pickton investigation and then to the chance that forensic genetic genealogy could finally return Jane Doe's name.

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Why you'd press play

Forensic clues may finally give Jane Doe her name back.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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