Search ends for Vancouver Island hiker 1 year after she went missing
Posted December 7, 2023 3:53 pm.
Last Updated December 7, 2023 5:01 pm.
The search for a hiker who was reported missing nearly one year ago on Vancouver Island has ended in tragedy, with police saying the woman’s remains have been found.
Police say Melissa McDevitt, 38, was reported missing on Dec. 10, 2022, after she failed to arrive for her flight from Victoria to Vancouver. Her family described this as “extremely out of the ordinary” for her.
Later that same day, searchers found McDevitt’s vehicle at the Sooke Potholes Park, where she was known to frequently hike.
Rescue crews and multiple coordinated searches were carried out across Vancouver Island for months to find McDevitt.
Island District RCMP Corp. Alex Bérubé told CityNews Thursday the woman’s remains were found Wednesday afternoon by a group of volunteer hikers, who had been part of an ongoing effort to search for McDevitt since her disappearance.
He says her remains were located off a path in “deep and thick vegetation.”
“Her death is not considered suspicious at this time. Even though we’re still going to be conducting a fulsome investigation alongside the BC Coroners Service, we do not have any indication that criminality was involved,” said Bérubé.
He explains that “given the amplitude … [police] would like to give a bit more context as to how her body was found and also praise the efforts of all those who participated in her search in the past year.”
However, he adds no further details will be released to the public “out of respect for McDevitt’s family.”
CityNews has reached out to the BC Coroners Service but has not heard back yet.
