Jean Virginia (Ginny) Sampare is a Canadian woman who went missing on Thursday, October 14, 1971, outside

Gitsegukla Gitsegukla (also variants of Kitsegeucla or Skeena Crossing) is an unincorporated community in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the southeast side of the Skeena River adjacent to the Kitseguecla River mo ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. She was last seen by her cousin near the railroad overpass on Highway 16 outside of Gitsegukla. Sampare's cousin, who was walking with her, went to get a jacket or a bike from his home and when he came back Sampare was gone. Despite searches by local residents, civil defence personnel, and police, she has not been seen since. Despite multiple theories surrounding what could have led to her disappearance, there has been no conclusive evidence to back any of them up.

Background

Virginia Sampare

Jean Virginia Sampare, known as Ginny to her family, was born on September 10, 1953, into a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

family of

Gitxsan Gitxsan (also spelled Gitksan and Kitksan) are an Indigenous people in Canada whose home territory comprises most of the area known as the Skeena Country in English (: means "people of" and : means "the River of Mist"). Gitksan territory enco ...

descent. The second youngest of six children, she was described as a shy and quiet child. She attended high school in

Hazelton, British Columbia Hazelton is a village municipality in the Skeena Country, Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the southeast side of the Skeena River immediately north of the Bulkley River mouth, where the confluence forms a pen ...

. She was characterized as a caretaker for her siblings, who protected them when their father drank too much. At the time of her disappearance, she was living with her parents in Gitsegukla. Sampare was planning to move to

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

with her younger brother Rod later in the month. He stated in the inquiry that she was careful and did not partake in any high-risk activities. She was known to inform others of her plans, and those close to her considered it out of character for her to leave unannounced. She worked at a salmon canning plant in Claxton, where her boyfriend had also worked. He had gone missing shortly before she disappeared. His remains were found after Sampare disappeared. He had drowned in the

Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose na ...

Gitsegukla

is a village located in the Skeena Valley between Hazelton and

Kitwanga Kitwanga or Gitwangak is in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia. Among the Hazelton and Bulkley Mountain Ranges, the place is on the north shore of the Skeena River, east of the Kitwanga River confluence. On BC Highway 37, northe ...

, British Columbia. It is in the center of the Hazelton mountain group. The area is largely mountainous with the Skeena River and some of its tributaries running through it. Topsoil is sparse, with a sandstone/shale bedrock exposed or just below the soil surface in much of the area above the Skeena, and sand, gravel and clay with exposed bedrock near and under the Skeena River. Animals in the area include salmon, trout, eagle, ravens, robins, black bears, elk, lynx, owl, coyotes, wolves and deer. There are numerous mines in the area; some were active in the 1970s, but many of them were abandoned shaft-mines. Gitsegukla is located on an

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...

in traditional

territory. The band operates out of Gitsegukla.

Disappearance

The night of the disappearance, October 14, 1971, Sampare's sister-in-law Violet testified that she saw her at her mother's house. Violet said that Sampare's mother came home and went into the kitchen. Soon after Sampare came out of the kitchen and looked like she was crying. Violet said she tried to ask what was wrong but that Sampare promptly walked out of the door. Violet tried to call Sampare and ask where she was going. Violet tried to get Sampare, but her mother-in-law stopped her, saying that "She'll come back." Violet said that this was between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm. Sampare's cousin was reported to be the last person to have seen her. He was walking with Sampare alongside Highway 16 when he left to either get a jacket or a bike and then rejoin her. He believed at the time that Sampare was going to a store that was close to the railroad overpass outside of town. His house was close to where he parted from Sampare, just south of the highway. Violet reported that Alvin came back to the highway and heard a vehicle door close, but Sampare was nowhere to be seen. There is no public record regarding the items which Sampare had taken with her when she went missing. Though it was a cold night, she had left her jacket at home.

Investigation

Missing persons report

After Sampare did not return home that night, her mother reported her missing the next morning to the Gitsegukla Indian Band office in Gitsegukla. Someone at the band office mistakenly said that they had to wait a certain amount of time before reporting the disappearance to the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

(RCMP). The band office sent someone to

South Hazelton South Hazelton is an unincorporated community in the Skeena region of west central British Columbia, Canada. The place is on the east side of the Skeena River immediately south of the Bulkley River mouth. On BC Highway 16, the locality is by roa ...

and

Kitimat Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine regional government. The Kitimat Valley is part of the most populous urban dist ...

to see if she was with her sisters Winnie or Anna, but she was not. After talking with Sampare's friends, some of them in

Kispiox Kispiox is a Gitxsan (often known also as Gitksan, due to eastern and western dialects) village of approximately 550 in the Kispiox Valley, at the confluence of the Kispiox and Skeena Rivers in British Columbia. Located north of Hazelton, the c ...

, they went to the RCMP. On October 16, the RCMP took a missing person's report from Sampare's mother. The RCMP checked with Anna, Winnie, and Sampare's friends and other family and confirmed that no one had made contact with her since she was last seen by Alvin.

Search effort

Searchers and civil defence personnel searched dense brush around the area where Sampare was last seen. On October 27, a helicopter joined the search effort. The search was officially called off on October 28.

Theories

Suicide

Sampare's parents felt suicide would not be characteristic of her. Although she may have been under stress from the disappearance of her boyfriend and the altercation with her mother, there is no public knowledge of a suicide note or any indication that she was suicidal.

Runaway

Sampare did not have a history of running away. Her family said it would be unlike her to break contact with her relations so abruptly and for such a prolonged period of time. In addition to this, though it was a cold night, Sampare left her jacket at home, which indicated that she was not planning on being outside for long.

Foul play

The RCMP have not ruled out nor proven foul play in her disappearance. There is no strong evidence that she had a misadventure or committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, and Sampare leaving behind her jacket on that cold night was evidence against the theory that she ran away. Also, Alvin's report that he heard a vehicle door close just before he was expecting to meet up with Sampare supports the theory that she was taken by vehicle. There is no available evidence suggesting any of Sampare's family, friends, or associates had any reason to cause her disappearance.

Highway of Tears

Sampare went missing one year, almost to the day, after Helen Claire Frost, who disappeared on Tuesday, October 13, 1970, and three years before Monica Ignas, who disappeared on Friday, December 13, 1974. Frost disappeared from

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is a city in British Columbia, Canada, situated at the confluence of the Fraser River, Fraser and Nechako River, Nechako rivers. The city itself has a population of 76,708; the metro census agglomeration has a population of 89,490 ...

, and Ignas from Thornhill, British Columbia. The three cases are some of the first in a series of murders and disappearances upon what would later be called the

Highway of Tears The Highway of Tears is a corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada, which has been the location of crimes against many women, beginning in 1970 when the highway was completed. The phrase was ...

Later developments

RCMP investigation

The RCMP reported to Rod that the case was closed in 1985, citing a report from the Gitsegukla band Chief Councillor in 1971 that Sampare had drowned, an assertion for which there was no conclusive evidence. The case was subsequently re-opened after the family complained. Her younger brother Rod reported he asked the RCMP for a copy of the complete missing persons file but was refused. The RCMP also took DNA from Sampare's siblings around 2006. The family believed that this was in response to the

Robert Pickton Robert William Pickton (October 24, 1949 – May 31, 2024), also known as the Pig Farmer Killer or the Butcher, was a Canadian serial killer and pig farmer. After dropping out of school, he left a butcher's apprenticeship to begin working full- ...

investigation. Nothing was reported publicly as to whether this produced any further leads in the case.

Awareness efforts by the family

Her band at one time had tried to list her as being deceased; however, after pushback from Sampare's mother, they changed her status back to missing. Both Winnie and Rod Sampare have talked to the media about their sister's disappearance and they spoke along with Victoria at an inquiry on

missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women are instances of violence against Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous women in Canada and the United States, notably those in the First Nations in Canada and Native Americans in the United States, ...

in September 2017.

References

External links

Jean Sampare
in the ''Vancouver Sun'', May 19, 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sampare, Jean Virginia 1970s missing person cases 1971 in British Columbia 20th-century First Nations people Sampare, Jean Virginia Highway of Tears Missing person cases in British Columbia October 1971 in Canada Violence against women in British Columbia Violence against Indigenous women in Canada