A film crew working on a documentary about missing Squamish, B.C., teenager Jodi Henrickson claims it has unearthed evidence in the case.
Henrickson, 17, was last seen at around dawn on June 20, 2009, after attending a house party on Bowen Island in Howe Sound, a short ferry ride from West Vancouver.
One of the last people believed to have seen Henrickson alive is her ex-boyfriend. The couple had been at a party but went their separate ways after an argument.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said at the time that they believed the teen met with foul play.
Now, a documentary crew is on the case, which grabbed the attention of the small island of about 4,200 people.
The crew claims it has unearthed evidence relevant to the investigation. IHIT confirms it has met with the film crew.
“The homicide team did come over on Sunday in order to assess the area and take statements from us,” said the documentary’s executive producer, Jenni Baynham, in an interview with CBC News.
“And then what they’re doing from here, I do not know because they don’t tell me anything.”
Baynham says she hopes to have the documentary have some sort of conclusion about the case and is aiming for a 2026 release.
She says that in interviewing Henrickson’s family and friends, the crew had learned much about the teenager and the circumstances of her disappearance.
“The movement we have seen on this case has been as a direct result of people who were teenagers at the time, who were unco-operative with the police for numerous reasons,” Baynham said.
“They’re now in their 30s. They have children. They have jobs, and they have picked up the phone and spoken to us and brought together pieces of a puzzle that the RCMP did not have access to at the time.”
Baynham says Henrickson was described as a social butterfly who loved to party and was a well-liked person who is still very loved by her friends and family.
“It’s very difficult for her family to live life day-to-day knowing that the person that did this to their daughter is out there living their life as though nothing ever happened,” the producer said.
Baynham said that the documentary would feature discussions of the effect the disappearance has had on Bowen Island residents in the 15 years since.
“There’s a cloud over Bowen Island, and the people of Bowen Island, I think, are really looking forward to this cloud being lifted in the hope that it will bring Jody’s family some closure and they can move on as well,” she said.
An IHIT spokesperson said they were contacted by the documentary crew over the weekend with regard to “potential evidence”, and investigators searched an area where the crew was working as a result.
“Since IHIT took conduct of this investigation in 2010, we have been working diligently to pursue every investigational avenue available,” the spokesperson said.
Anyone with more information on the disappearance is asked to contact investigators at 1-877-551-4448 or via email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.