The Vanished

Everywhere I go, anytime I go online, anytime I'm listening to the radio, anytime I pick up a paper, all I see/hear/read is coverage of the trial currently taking place in New Westminster, B.C., regarding the murders of six women who vanished from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in the 90s and early part of this decade.

The trial is often referred to by the name of the accused. His picture is everywhere. Every television news report shows the same video clip of him, climbing over a wall in his pig barn.

How many reports show the photographs of the victims in this trial? How many of us know the names of the victims? (Yes, there are 49 suspected victims in all, but only six are concerned with this particular trial) How many times have we heard that the victims were drug-addicted sex trade workers?

I strongly advocate for news organizations referring to this trial as the Vancouver Eastside Murders trial, or something that acknowledges the victims in this. They are, after all, the reason for this case. The accused is presumed innocent until found guilty, so let's not make it about him. Let's not give him the satisfaction of having his name mentioned in polite society.

Instead, let's acknowledge and meet the six women for whom the trial seeks to find justice. Please click the names to learn about these individuals.

Mona Wilson
Sereena Abotsway
Andrea Joesbury
Georgina Papin
Marnie Frey
Brenda Wolfe