PORT COQUITLAM, British Columbia — Investigators probing the disappearances of 50 women since 1983 searched a Vancouver-area pig farm Thursday amid speculation of a major break in the case.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Catherine Galliford wouldn’t confirm that a major break had occurred. She said a search warrant for the farm, about 22 miles east of Vancouver, was issued Tuesday night related to firearms.
The RCMP said Robert William Pickton, 52, was charged with storing a firearm contrary to regulations, possession of a firearm without a license and possession of a loaded restricted firearm without a license.
Police said Pickton was not in custody. Pickton is listed on British Columbia assessment records as one of three owners of the property being searched, the Vancouver Sun reported.
Galliford said the site was a property of interest in the investigation into the disappearance of the women, mainly sex-trade workers from Vancouver’s downtown east side. She said the missing women task force got a warrant on Wednesday to search the property.
Families of the missing women were contacted by police investigators. The mayor of Port Coquitlam said residents were in shock.
"Certainly, the discussions in the coffee shops and around kitchen tables in our small town this morning is one of shock and disbelief," Scott Young said.
He said he found out about the search Wednesday morning. The city was working with police to locate water mains and other services in case police decided to excavate the property, located between a discount retailer and a new residential development.
A sister of one of the missing women spent about half an hour at the farm Thursday morning.
Sherry Koski, whose sister Kerry Lynn Koski has been missing since January 1998, was crying as she spoke to police officers. She brushed by reporters, saying she didn’t feel like talking to the media.
Galliford said the search of the 27-acre farm, which contains a house, a trailer and other outbuildings, could take days or months. More than three dozen officers were on the scene.
"Right now we’re just sorting out logistical problems," she said. "We’re bringing in some barriers to give the investigators some privacy.
"We do anticipate that we’re going to have to do some excavation, but at this particular time that’s not the stage of the search that we’re at."
News of a possible break in the case surfaced after Ernie Crey, the brother of one of the missing women, told the Vancouver Sun late Wednesday that the RCMP had called him to say they had a suspect. Crey said he wasn’t told if police believe the suspect is directly involved in his sister’s disappearance.
Galliford said investigators had talked to the farm’s owners but didn’t know where they were.
"That’s not a concern to us at this time," she said.
Neighbors said the swampy area was fenced and guarded by dogs. A sign on the gate warned: "This Property Protected by a Pit Bull With AIDS."
It appeared to be a working farm, with pigs, but there also were piles of dirt and gravel, along with heavy earthmoving machinery.
Neighbor Randy Thibert said the farm’s residents had lived there "for years." He said he hoped police wouldn’t find anything, because "you like to think it doesn’t happen out here."
The number of missing women has climbed steadily as a joint Vancouver police-RCMP task force has added more names to their file. There has long been speculation a serial killer was preying on prostitutes downtown. Police initially discounted the theory, saying there was no evidence to support it. But as the list grew, the theory gained credence.
In mid-January, the task force added five women to the list of those who had disappeared from Vancouver’s gritty downtown to bring the total to 50.
Vancouver police started the missing-women investigation three years ago when the number was thought to be 31.Police have said all the missing women were addicted to either drugs or alcohol and most worked as prostitutes.
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