Relatives of victim whose remains found on Robert Pickton’s farm wants more charges

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The BC Coroners’ Service is apologizing to the family of a woman whose bones were found on Robert Pickton’s property.

There was a four-year delay in returning her remains to her family, but no one seems to know why.

Barb McClintock says the remains of Stephanie Lane were in RCMP storage for several years until 2010 when they were handed over to the coroner. The remains were then returned to her family last fall.

“We don’t know why. The chief coroner, the deputy and myself — none of us were in place at that time and the people who were have all left the Coroners Service, so we don’t have an explanation for that which we do regret.”

The coroner launched an internal investigation to ensure something like that never happens again.

“Once it was realized that there were some problems with the handling of those remains, once the new team came into place, there was an internal review at that time.”

The victim’s family is hoping for an apology from the Mounties and it wants a murder charge laid against Pickton, but Crown counsel says that won’t happen.

“The decision not to proceed with other cases took into account the fact that having been convicted of the six counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for a minimum of 25 years — any further convictions could not result in any additional sentence. The branch certainly recognized and continues to recognize the decision not to proceed with other charges was disappointing to some family members of Robert Pickton’s victims. It was a decision that was accepted by some family members, but it was disappointing to others,” says the Crown’s Neil MacKenzie.

Pickton was convicted of the second-degree murder of six women back in 2007 — with the remaining 20 charges stayed.