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The family of a woman whose remains were found at the Robert Pickton farm in B.C. has asked that the case be reopened as a new murder charge laid against the serial killer.
Stephanie Lane’s family made a brief media appearance Wednesday afternoon to speak about her disappearance and plead that her death be investigated. Lane’s remains were partially found on the farm in 2002 and it wasn’t until September 2014 were they given to her family.
Aerial view of the Pickton Farm (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
According to the BC Coroner’s Service, the remains returned to the family were fully known and identified as part of the original police investigation and have been stored at facilities used by the RCMP and Coroner until they were returned. But coroner Barb McLintock says the remains do not represent new evidence, they were just delayed in being returned.
A memorial for Stephanie Lane (Photo Credit: Facebook)
“The sole issue is the unfortunate delay in returning the remains to the family of Ms. Lane, following completion of the criminal proceedings against Mr. Pickton. The BC Coroners Service regrets it cannot explain this delay as none of the current senior management team were in their positions at the time, and those who were involved are no longer employed by the BC Coroners Service.”
Robert Pickton (Photo Credit: File Photo)
The bone fragments were held in storage from 2003 until 2010 by the RCMP, then turned over to the BC Coroners Service before being returned to the family last fall. It is unlikely that another murder charge will be laid on Pickton, who is currently serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years.
Pickton was convicted of second degree murder of six women in 2007, although the DNA of 33 women was originally found on the farm. Lane’s DNA would have been part of that group of women, but only 26 names were among those in the original charges.
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