The death of a Kingcome Inlet woman, found south of the city last year, remains a mystery.
The body of Elizabeth Lagis, 33, was found by the side of the Inland Island Highway, just south of Hamm Road, on March 9, 2011.
“Since that date, an investigative team from the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, with the support of the BC Coroners Service, has conducted an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances surrounding Lagis’ death,” said RCMP Cpl. Darren Lagan in a news release.
“Key findings of the investigation reveal that no criminality was involved in her death. The investigation also revealed that Elizabeth is believed to have passed away on March 7, at the location where her body was found.”
Lagis had arrived by plane in Campbell River for two days of medical tests on March 6-7. She didn’t have a vehicle and called family members in Kingcome Inlet around 10:30 p.m. on March 6.
It was the last time they ever heard from her.
She didn’t attend her next day’s appointments which led to a search. RCMP air and grounds crews, along with Campbell River Search and Rescue, conducted an exhaustive search of multiple areas of interest in and around Campbell River. Finally, on March 9, a passing motorist found her body. She was found eight-and-a-half metres down an embankment, off the highway, in a location obscured by a drainage culvert.
However, more than a year later, police aren’t saying how Lagis died or why she was found more than 25 kilometres away from the hotel where she was staying in downtown Campbell River.
“Investigators met with Elizabeth’s family (Wednesday) and shared the findings of their investigation,” said Cpl. Lagan. “The family wishes to grieve in private.”
Kingcome Inlet is a tiny community of about 100 people located on the Central Coast. Lagis worked part-time at the village council office, helped care for her mother, took part in the fishing activities, and spent most of her time caring for her teenaged daughter.
“My sister was just awesome,” her brother Percy told the Mirror last year. “She helped preserve food for the family, she helped with the fishing; smoking fish, canning them. She loved to eat crab. She could eat crab all week. She was a big part of the community and I’m going to really miss her.”
The police investigation is officially over and the case has now been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.