Canadian True Crime - The Death of Madison Scott

Episode Date: January 1, 2021

In May of 2011, 20 year old Maddy Scott and a friend attended a party at Hogsback Lake in British Columbia. They were supposed to camp for the night, but the friend decided to leave, and Maddy was eventually left by herself. This was the last time anyone saw her alive.UPDATE - MAY 2023:The RCMP has confirmed the remains of Madison Scott were found on a rural property not far from Hogback Lake, where she had been camping with friends. No cause of death has been released, but police say foul play has not been ruled out, and the investigation is ongoing. Our thoughts are with the Scott family at this time. We hope for their sake there will be more answers coming soon. More information from Prince George Citizen.Look out for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast. Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi friends and happy new year. Fingers crossed that it actually will be. Now as I said on the last episode, I usually do take a break for this January the first release date. But this year I wanted to use this space to raise awareness for an unsolved case I've been following for many years. And we don't usually cover unsolved cases on this show because we like to know what happened and why. So just think of this episode as a special. You never know. It could lead to answers for this family. I certainly hope so anyway. And with that, it's on with the show. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production, funded through advertising and direct donations. The podcast contains coarse language, adult themes, and content of a violent and

disturbing nature. Listener discretion is advised. This story takes place in the Nacheco region of British Columbia, which starts in the geographical centre of the province and extends up to the border of the Yukon. Known for thousands of lakes, lush forests and scenic mountain ranges, the Natchako region is a hub for people who love spending time doing outdoor activities, like hiking, mountain biking and camping. In that region is a number of towns and communities. One of them is the small town of Vanderhoof, and in that town lived the close-knit Scott family, parents, Don and Eldon, and their three kids. Their middle child is 20-year-old Madison,

or Maddie, as she's called, the caring and loving daughter, sister and friend. She's also known to friends for her magnetic and vivacious personality. She was impulsive with her plans and always off doing something fun, which inevitably attracted people to her. Maddie loved the outdoors, so Central British Columbia was the perfect place for her. Her constant companion during her days of exploring the wilds was her camera.

She loved to take pictures. She found beauty not only in the birds and the flowers, but in the rugged terrain of the mountains. Maddie worked as an apprentice mechanic and had diverse interests. One minute, she'd be dressed up to attend a dance, and then she would change into overalls, and work on her pickup truck, an off-white 1990 Ford F-150. Or she'd be planning comedy skits and filming videos with her drama friends,

and the next minute she'd be riding a horse or dirt biking through the countryside. One friend would describe her in the documentary, The Vanishing of Madison Scott, as super funny. Quote, if you hang out with her, you know you'll be doing something fun. On Friday, May 27, 2011, Madison, Madison was looking forward to reconnecting with a casual school friend known as Jordie. Jordie and Maddie hadn't seen each other since their graduation in 2009, and out of the blue, Jordie invited Maddie to go with her to a mutual friend's birthday party at Hogsback Lake. Even though they weren't overly close friends at school and had drifted apart,

Maddie was always eager for the next adventure, so she cancelled other plans she had and said yes. Just 25 kilometres south-east of Vanderhoof, Hogsback Lake is a former forestry campsite, and people could just show up there, pitch a tent and camp there for free. Even though there were no facilities other than a primitive outhouse, the scenery made it worthwhile. Hogsback Lake is a small and picturesque glass. Lake with a swimming area, boat launch and dock, all surrounded by beautiful Douglas fir trees with several hiking trails leading off the campsite. Hogsback Lake is also a popular area for parties.

Because of its remote location, partygoers don't have to worry about noise complaints, and camping there is an attractive option for responsible partygoers who didn't want to drink and drive. And this is exactly what Maddie and Jordy planned to do. do, spend the night camping together after enjoying the party. Maddie packed two tents, a pup tent and a larger tent, thinking they would decide which one to use when they got there. They took off in her pickup truck for the 20-minute drive to Hogsback Lake.

But Maddie's mother Dawn was surprised to see them return within the hour. Maddie said the pup tent was way too small and the larger tent was missing the poles to keep it up. So Maddie and Jordie had to go back and get them. As Maddie left for the second time, Dawn told her to have fun and be safe. Later on that night at around 11.30pm, Dawn got a text from Maddie asking her mum about a certain song. She was in her tent while the party continued around her, but to Dawn everything seemed fine. Dawn ended the conversation with Good night, have fun and we'll talk tomorrow. The next day, Saturday, Maddie's parents, Dawn and Eldon, hadn't heard from her.

They called her cell phone throughout the day to see if all was well, but she wasn't answering. 20-year-old Maddie was independent and responsible, but she still lived at home and would periodically check in with her parents when she was out, so it was strange that they hadn't heard from her. But they also knew that cell phone coverage in the more remote areas of British Columbia, like Hogsback Lake, could be spotty. So they weren't overly concerned when they couldn't get in touch with her. Maddie was resourceful, strong and capable, and they assumed that she was having fun with Jordy

and would check in when she had a cell signal. The next morning, Sunday morning, Dawn called Maddie Cell again, but this time it didn't even ring. it went straight to voicemail. By now, Dawn and Alden knew that something was wrong with their daughter. It was now Sunday morning and they hadn't heard from Maddie since she left with the tent poles on Friday night. It wasn't like her to go so long without contact.

Dawn didn't have Jordy's cell phone number, but everyone knew everyone in the town of Vanderhoof, so she called Jordy's house and spoke with her mother, Debbie, to see if she knew where the two were. But to Dawn's surprise, Debbie said Jordy had arrived home early on Saturday morning because she had to work, and she was by herself. Debbie hadn't seen Maddie at all and had no idea where she was. Jordy might have a better idea, but she was now at work and hadn't made any effort to contact Maddie's parents. Dawn hung up the phone and knew that she and Eldon had to drive straight to Hogsback Lake and look for their daughter immediately. By this time, concern had grown into panic. I'm Christy, an Australian who's called Canada home for more than a decade, and this is my passion project.

Join me to hear about some of the most thought-provoking and often heartbreaking true crime cases in Canada. Using court documents and news archives, I take you through each story from beginning to end, with a look at the way the media covered the crime and the impact it had on the community. This is Canadian true crime. Dawn would say on the documentary The Vanishing of Madison Scott that when they arrived at Hogsback Lake,

she expected to find Maddie straight away, maybe just sitting there like nothing had happened. She'd have a rational explanation for not checking in and they could all have a laugh and breathe a sigh of relief. But instead, all they found was Maddie's truck and the remnants of her tent, which was no longer standing and had been completely flattened. In the back tray of her truck, they found several of Maddie's things that had value, like several expensive pieces of dirt bike equipment.

There was also a cooler with some cans of beer still in it and a can of gasoline. Locked inside Maddie's truck, Dawn and Eldon found. her purse and what they thought were the rest of her belongings. Alden saw other campers at a site across from the one Maddie's truck was at, so he went over to talk to them in the hope that someone had been there since the Friday night party. As it turned out, they knew Maddie, but they were not at the Friday night party. They had all arrived the next night, Saturday, for an even bigger party that had been attended by upwards of 150 people.

The party went on around Maddie's vacant truck and tent, but no one saw Maddie herself, and there was no movement from the tent. The Scots then walked down the trails leading away from the campsite, looking for any clues as to where Maddie may have gone. They came up empty-handed. It was time to call the police and report her as a missing person. Maddie was described as,

5 foot 4, 170 pounds, with ginger-colored hair, green eyes and a nose ring in her left nostril. As they waited for the RCMP and search and rescue to arrive, Dawn stopped every single car that drove into the campsite and asked them if they'd seen or heard anything about Maddie. None of them had. Jordie never tried to make contact with Maddie's parents, but when they finally got hold of her, she was able to. to shed some light on what happened at the party. She would tell police that after she and Maddie returned to Hogsback Lake with the tent poles,

other friends and acquaintances had begun gathering for the party. Together, the two set up the tent near where Maddie's truck was parked, not far from the picnic table and the campfire. Maddie, Jordy and a group of friends went out to gather firewood to put on the campfire. By the time they came back, with arms full of sticks and branches, the party was in full swing. After a while, a group of uninvited guests showed up who had seen the party advertised on Facebook. This group had been described as a rougher crowd than the group Maddie was with. But because Hogsback is locally known as a party spot, the newly arriving group merged with the existing party.

Eventually, even more people showed up uninvited. The party swelled from a few friends to around 50 people. Most of the party goers were around 18 to 25 years old, though a few were up to 40 years old and the original partygoers didn't know them. Reporting on what Maddie did at the party differs. Some rumours started up that she spent most of the party in the tent, rumors that have made their way to the Wikipedia page for the case. But Maddie's mum Dawn says that's not true.

Maddie only went to her tent after Jordy had left. Dawn would tell YouTuber channel Lorden Arts that Maddie had recently started online dating and there was a guy there at the party on Friday night that she was interested in, but he said he just wanted to be friends. Maddie told her mum she was a bit upset, but it wasn't anything drastic.

Dawn also said there was another guy there that showed interest in Maddie, but she told her mum she did not share his feelings. Maddie said he got a bit, quote, huffy, but otherwise seemed okay. As the night wore on and the drinking increased, the group became rowdy and some of the newcomers were roughhousing near the campfire. One of them inadvertently bumped into Jordy, sending her to the ground near the flames. She avoided being burned, but she did cut her hands and hurt her knee when she landed.

Although her injuries weren't serious, this incident seemed to put a dampener on the party atmosphere. Jordy said that the party eventually dwindled back down to less than 10 people. Maddie was not believed to have been intoxicated. She'd only bought one bottle of wine and had been sharing it, and as we know, there were beers left in the cooler of her truck. But Jordy, in her own words, was super drunk. In the hours since the party had started, Jordy had connected with another partygoer

and the two had decided to get together as a couple. And now Jordy was very drunk and decided she wanted to leave. Her new boyfriend said he would help her into his truck and take her to his house nearby. They went and told Maddie who wasn't overly happy about this. She asked Jordy to stay and camp with her as they'd planned, but Jordy insisted she wanted to leave. She asked Maddie to leave with them, but Maddie didn't want to.

She had set up the tent for camping and was in her sleeping bag. All her belongings, including her truck, were at the site, and she didn't want to leave it all and have to come back the next morning. Her mother Dawn believes that because Jordy's new relationship was a mere few hours old, Maddie wouldn't have wanted to go to her new boyfriend's place. Jordy told the police that Maddie assured her she would be safe there. After all, there were other people camping there too. Jordy and her boyfriend pulled away at around 1am.

She told the police that there were about five parties still there, with Maddie still in her tent. and Jordy had no idea what happened after that. The next morning, Saturday morning, she needed to go to work and realise she had to go back to the campsite and get her clothes, pillow and sleeping bag. In other retellings, she would say that she felt guilty about leaving Maddie, so that's why she went back to check up on her.

When Jordy and her new boyfriend arrived, they saw the tent standing there all by itself. There were no other tents or people. The front flap to the tent was wide open and Jordy took a quick glance inside. She noticed that all the contents were pushed to the side, but nothing else seemed to be out of place. Jordy assumed Maddie had left the party with someone and wasn't concerned. Despite reporting that she felt guilty about leaving Maddie there the night before, she didn't think to tell anyone that she hadn't actually checked in with her.

Jordy just went about her day. The next morning, Sunday morning, was when Dawn and Alden Scott arrived at Hogsback Lake and reported Maddie missing, and that afternoon, police and search and rescue showed up to secure the campsite. Jordy also returned with her mother Debbie and looked around the tent. On the ground right outside the front of the tent, she found some costume jewelry earrings that belonged to Maddie. She gave them to a mutual friend who would pass them on to Maddie's mum, Dawn. So, the police had Jordy's story, but they still didn't know exactly what happened at the party after 1am when she left with her boyfriend.

By the Monday morning, it had been more than 48 hours since Maddie was last seen, and word quickly spread around the town of Vanderhoof that she was missing. Maddie was a popular social person living in a tight-knit community. There was an overwhelming response and alongside the RCMP and search and rescue, teams of hundreds of community volunteers were organised to search. Because of the very dense forest and rough terrain of central British Columbia, any search had to be strategic to be both effective and safe for searches. The area was mapped and a grid search began.

Searchers started with the campsite at the centre of the grid and searched outwards, moving shoulder to shoulder. One concern was that Maddie left the campsite on foot, possibly on the way to the outhouse or on a hike. And maybe she had an accident, became lost while alone in the woods, or had an encounter with a wild animal. Searchers spread out from the campsite.

to cover the entire perimeter of the lake. Trails were searched both by foot and ATV, and an air search was conducted by helicopter. There was no sign of Maddie. Another concern was that Maddie could have gone for a swim in the frigid lake and accidentally drowned there. Her former boss had showed up with his boat, equipped with a sonar to search underwater.

Hogsback Lake is a small lake. just about half a kilometer long, kind of rectangle size and only about 22 feet deep at its deepest part. Maddie's boss spent 10 hours searching the lake floor with his sonar, but nothing turned up. A day of intense searching and investigation yielded nothing in terms of leads. Dawn and Alden Scott were shattered. Investigators had to consider another possibility. that Maddie had been attacked and abducted. Her truck and tent were still in the same place at the site,

with several valuable items left in the back tray of her truck, which all remained intact. And of course, her purse and belongings were also left behind. Now, Maddie was close with her family, and she was also a highly social person with a large group of friends. So the fact that not one person had heard from her since the parker, was highly unusual. The RCMP Forensic Identification section

examined the camping area, Maddie's truck and her tent. Treating the site as a crime scene, they found no signs of a struggle and no blood found at the scene. Her tent and bedding was sent out for forensic testing, which found no results out of the ordinary. But while Maddie's parents originally assumed that all of her things were in her truck, it was soon discovered that there were two things missing, her large keychain that had her truck key on it, and her cell phone. That night, the RCMP announced

they had suspended the physical search of the area. They had found no evidence to suggest that Maddie was in the immediate area around the lake or along one of the trails leading off it. They needed new information to focus their efforts in the right direction. The case was passed to the North District Major Crime Unit, operating out of the nearby city of Prince George. A team of 14 investigators was assembled. They concentrated their efforts first on contacting the people from the Friday night party. They needed to find out what happened after Jordy left.

One of the partygoers may have the key to Maddie's disson. A press release was issued announcing Madison's disappearance and urging the public to come forward with any information they had. Sergeant Rob Vermeulen, a spokesperson for the RCMP, said they believed someone in the area that weekend may have seen Maddie or even spoken to her. He went on to say it was important that the RCMP determined precisely what happened that Friday night, and also, any plans Maddie may have had for Saturday. He said they had conducted some interviews already, but stressed it was important that they speak to anyone who could provide answers to the many questions they had.

These answers would help them piece together the bigger picture. The police would learn that Maddie stayed in her tent after Jordie left, likely feeling safe in the knowledge that others would be camping there too, including the birthday boy, the person who threw. through the party every year. At around 2.45, he and his girlfriend had an argument and decided the party was over. By that point, some sober drivers had arrived after their late shift and went over and asked Maddie if she wanted a ride home, but she said no because she was in bed and didn't want to leave her belongings. Maddie likely didn't realize that she had been left there in that remote area

to camp all by herself. As you'll remember, Geordie said she returned to the campsite the next morning, which is when she saw the tent still standing, but with the front door flap open, and Maddie wasn't inside the tent. Maddie's mum Dawn also clarified to Lorden Arts YouTube that the birthday boy and his girlfriend also returned to the lake

to clean up after their party, just as Jordy had done. They arrived about. an hour after Jordy did, and they also saw Maddie's lone tent standing where it had been the night before, with her truck parked nearby. But according to them, her tent was zipped up, and they assumed she was asleep inside and left. Even though the official search for Madison Scott was suspended on Monday night pending more information, the volunteer searches continued on Tuesday. They checked properties surrounding the Hogsback Lake area. They encouraged people across

British Columbia to hang up missing persons' posters. A Facebook page was set up, as well as the website find mattie.ca. Word of Maddie Scott's disappearance started to spread outside of British Columbia. After a few days of volunteer-only searches, the RCMP restarted their own search efforts. They sent a dive team to the lake, leading many to speculate that a tip must have come in. But spokesperson Rob Vermeulen clarified that the search was because of a lack of specific tips. They had to completely rule out the possibility that Maddie was in the water.

divers spent eight to nine hours searching the bottom of the lake with the aid of sonar equipment, but they came up empty-handed. Sergeant Vermeulen told the media that several tips had come in that they were working on, but there was nothing that could be considered a strong lead. There were also several rumours about Maddie's disappearance going around, and Vermeulen took this opportunity to dispel one of them. There was talk that Maddie's missing cell phone had been used the morning after the party at 7am. Vermeulen said this story was baseless.

Phone records would show that the last call Maddie received was at 12.30am just after midnight, and the caller was a person known to the family who was cleared. Meanwhile, the grid search continued. groups of 10 or 12 volunteers assembled headed by a search and rescue team member. The trained searcher would then direct appropriate search procedures. The teams went out in shifts, spray painting trees and ribboning the area as they completed searches. This second organized search covered many of the same regions as the initial one. They wanted to make sure that nothing was missed.

Small lakes and ponds, dense bushes and debris on the forest floor and the network of old logging roads all had to be searched. Volunteers drove all the roads from Fraser Lake to Isle Pierre over an hour in either direction of Hogsback Lake. They were looking for any evidence of Maddie along the roadside. The search and rescue teams utilized local residents to identify possible areas of shelter, in the thick forest.

The area had been settled in the 1920s and was used by trappers and hunters and there were many old, long-forgotten cabins and abandoned, rusted-out vehicles that needed to be searched. The community of Vanderhoof, including the 4,500 town residents and the additional 5,000 people who lived nearby,

raised money for the search, some of which paid for infrared helicopter, It costs $800 an hour to keep the helicopter in the air. No small cost for the small town. Every dollar raised helped. Over 60 square kilometres were covered thoroughly by the helicopter. Maddie would be just a speck and if she was wearing something bright she would have been easier to spot, but she was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jean capri pants. The thick, overgrown brush also made this air search particularly challenging, but this did not deter the pilot or the search team. As this thorough and aggressive search continued,

investigators continued to focus on interviewing potential witnesses. They spoke with every single person who was at the Friday night and Saturday night parties at Hogsback Lake. Most of them also took post. polygraphs and passed. It should be noted that polygraph results can be unreliable, and as such, they're generally not admissible as evidence in Canadian court. Polygraphs are just one investigative tool used by law enforcement to try and get to the truth,

but the results are by no means definitive. Additionally, the RCMP continued to check cell phone records and also spoke with people who traveled through the area the weekend Maddie went missing. Their goal was to piece together Maddie's movements leading up to her disappearance. They were particularly focused on anyone who was in the area during the five-hour window that they believed Maddie had left the campsite, which was from 3am when the last party goers said they left the campground and the time that Jordy returned to get her things.

which has been reported as being between 8.30 and 10 a.m. Jordy had been speaking with the police nearly daily since Maddie's disappearance. She was originally considered to be a person of interest due to her unusual behaviour, both by leaving a friend at the party and not contacting Maddie's parents or anyone when she went back to check up on her. But on the other hand, she and Maddie weren't overly close friends, and there were both 20-year-old women, Jordy was intoxicated and was also in a new relationship that was just hours old.

Jordy had taken and passed two polygraphs and was ultimately cleared by the RCMP. While leaving Maddie behind may not have been the most considerate thing to do, Jordy knew that others were camping there too and couldn't have possibly known that they would leave and that Maddie would be left there alone. On June the 7th, over a week after Madison was last seen, her parents, Dawn and Eldon, issued a public plea for people to come forward with information.

They described their daughter as a passionate, 20-year-old woman who was independent, intelligent, and loved life and the great outdoors. Maddie was typically always doing something, and she had plans throughout that whole weekend that she did not show up for. This was completely out of character. Her family knew that she wouldn't have left of her own free will, and that terrified them. There were absolutely no signs that Maddie had left the campsite by foot,

so the RCMP and Vanderhoove search and rescue came to the conclusion that she must have left by vehicle. And even if she did leave the site intentionally, in some unknown vehicle, she must have intended to return to get her items. There's no reason why she would only take her cell phone and truck keys with her, leaving her purse behind, along with all her money, as well as the other valuable items left in her truck. The RCMP had come to the same conclusion as her family.

Something or someone had kept Maddie from returning home. If she was able to return, she would have. By this time, Dawn had mentioned those earrings that Jordy had found to the RCMP. She didn't see them as important because Maddie had a history of being careless with her things and she was always taking off her jewelry and leaving it in random spots. The police took the earrings immediately and bagged them, but Maddie's family don't consider them as anything significant. On June 22nd, around three weeks after Maddie's disappearance, her family posted a personal reward of $15,000

as an incentive to get people to come forward and speak to the police. The RCMP also publicly announced the two missing items, Maddie's new iPhone 4 in a bluish-green or turquoise case, and her bulky key chain which included the key to her truck. Dawn and Alden Scott, in the meantime, turned their basement into a command center for their own private investigation into their daughter's disappearance. They put up boards with lists of all the people at the party that night and their movements. They used video surveillance footage to look for Maddie and were able to retrace her steps on the day of the party.

She was captured visiting a liquor store and then later buying snacks before the night. the party. But after that, there was nothing. In August of 2011, more than two months after Maddie's disappearance, two well-trained search dogs and their handlers searched areas around Hogsback Lake, the area behind Blackwater Road and several other private properties. The dogs failed to pick up any scent of Maddie. Later that month, the RCMP admitted they were baffled by the case. Despite an extensive and comprehensive ground, air and water search, plus hundreds of interviews and polygraphs, the disappearance of Madison Scott remained a mystery. They had cleared all known persons of interest, including Geordie, other partygoers,

and that huffy guy who was interested in Maddie that she didn't share feelings for. The RCMP had even discovered why the tent was flattened by Sunday morning. Some 17-year-old had fallen on top of it at the Saturday night party. He too had been cleared. The RCMP did acknowledge that it was likely that not everyone at Hogsback Lake that weekend had come forward yet. And of those who had, maybe they knew things that they neglected to tell police. Six months after Maddie's disappearance,

6,000 missing persons flyers with Maddie's picture and news. details were handed out during the Grey Cup, the Canadian Football League Championship event in Vancouver. They were paid for through ongoing community fundraisers. During the first year of the investigation, the RCMP spent considerable time confronting rumours that were going around. One such rumour was that something happened to Maddie at the party accidentally, like a drug overdose or alcohol poisoning. Perhaps the partygoers panicked and hid her body, or perhaps a fight got out of hand, Maddie was fatally injured and it was covered up.

But after interviewing around 50 people from the Friday night party, the RCMP was confident that this was not what happened. Not one person gave any indication there was an accident at the party other than Geordy falling close to the campfire. While one or two could potentially be lying, it seemed unlikely that all of these people could withstand the pressure of police scrutiny and not give something up. In December of 2011, the RCMP released a re-enactment video in the hope that pictures of Maddie's truck and tent might jog the memories of people in and around the area the weekend she disappeared. In the video, Maddie's parents praised the search. and investigation efforts and tearfully asked again for anyone who knew anything to come forward.

The rumors continued, though, which frustrated Maddie's family. One of them involved a 28-year-old man she played baseball with, and the rumors were wild, that they were a couple, he was involved with some angry drug dealers, and they had apparently abducted Maddie to teach him a lesson. The man was eager to clear his name. He cooperated fully with the RCMP and was ruled out. Sadly, he went missing seven months after Maddie did, and he was discovered to have been murdered. There were no arrests for quite some time, and the rumours started back up again, completely taking the public focus away from the Maddie Scott investigation. The RCMP and Maddie's parents both issued statements saying the two cases were not linked, but it did little to quell the thirst for conspiracy.

A few months after that, on May 28, 2012, was the first anniversary of Madison's disappearance. There was still no sign of her and no leads. The RCMP was satisfied they had interviewed and cleared all of the people at the party that Friday night. They knew when they arrived, when they left, who they arrived and left with, and had polygraphed most of them, but nothing came up of that. They didn't identify anyone who had a grudge or reason to hurt Maddie. They'd followed up on any tips and other leads they received,

and the case was reviewed by other RCMP divisions. They were all at a loss. To mark the first anniversary, the Scott family staged the first All In for Maddie annual poker ride, a massive organized search and fundraiser. It covered all the trails leading off from the Hogsback Lake campsite and people navigated them on foot, on horses and on ATV or quad bikes. The Scott family also increased the reward to $100,000 in the hope that maybe the extra incentive would motivate anyone who may know something but hadn't yet come forward. That November, 18 months after Maddie disappeared,

American TV station CBS produced a special for their 48 hours show. The special was called Highway of Tears and featured segments on several missing persons from the area, including Maddie Scott. The Highway of Tears is part of Highway 16 in British Columbia, which starts at Prince Rupert on the west coast of British Columbia and stretches 700 kilometres across to Prince George. The highway runs through the town of Vanderhoof.

Forest surrounds the highway on both sides and there are no streetlights. When there's no moon, the road is pitch black. This stretch is called the Highway of Tears not because of its ominous aesthetic, but because many women have gone missing from this highway. Some of them were later found murdered, but others are still missing. The victims are mostly indigenous and many were hitchhiking due to a lack of accessible transportation in the remote areas. The exact number of victims along the highway of tears is disputed. Some believe it exceeds 30, possibly going as high as 40,

and many feel that Madison Scott belongs on the list, which is why. why she was included in the 48 hours Highway of Tears special. In 2005, six years before Maddie disappeared, the RCMP had initiated a project called E-Pana, which focused on these unsolved murders and disappearances close to the so-called Highway of Tears. The E-Pana Task Force was able to determine that there is no one Highway of Tears killer.

In fact, multiple killers were operating in the area, each taking advantage of the remote area and poverty to prey on the vulnerable. To date, only one of them has been prosecuted, and that's Cody Ledger-Boccoff, who was convicted of killing four women between 2009 and 2010. He was only 19 and 20 years old when he committed these murders, making him one of Canada's young children. serial killers. See episode three of this podcast for that story. As well as Cody Ledger Bokoff, other suspects have been identified and are believed to have murdered women along the highway of tears, but either they have passed away or the police had insufficient evidence on them. Their specific criteria used when they decide which victims to include as Highway of Tears victims for the E-PANA investigation.

The victim has to be female and engaged in a high-risk activity like hitchhiking or sex work at the time of their murder or disappearance. They have to have gone missing within one mile of Highway 16, 97 or 5 in British Columbia. Additionally, it has to appear to be a stranger abduction

or a murder. The E-Panner Task Force determined that Madison Scott does not fit this criteria. Hogsback Lake is not immediately off Highway 16. It's more than 20 kilometres southeast. And while camping alone could be considered dangerous, it's not considered a high-risk activity the way intentional hitchhiking is. Additionally, an RCMP spokesperson has stated that there was nothing to link Maddie's disappearance to the 18 other cases of missing and murdered women along the highway of tears. Despite this, 48 hours opted to include her story in their coverage and Maddie's family desperately wanted to raise awareness.

The segment featured interviews with Maddie's family and friends, including Jordy. Her behavior in her interview struck viewers as odd. While Maddie's other friends got choked up as they spoke about her, Jordy laughed and seemed proud of passing her polygraph, exclaiming that she aced it. She later said she was incredibly nervous, and that caused her to giggle at inappropriate times. She also said that the editing of the interview made some of her comments appear out of context. The 48 hours special on the highway of tears upset many in British Columbia, and is not considered accurate on several levels, including details that were given regarding Maddie Scott's disappearance. Over a year later, in January of 2014, an independent filmmaker from Scotland

produced a documentary called The Vanishing of Madison Scott. Jordy also appeared in this documentary. She was less nervous, seemed quite docile, and her appearance didn't strike viewers quite the way the 48 hours episode did. This documentary, The Vanishing of Madison Scott, is considered the accurate version by Maddie's family. But while this coverage was great for raising awareness and generating tips, it is not led to a resolution in the case. Over the years, Maddie's family and the community in Vanderhoof have worked hard to ensure

that the case didn't fade away. Missing signs of all shapes and sizes were put up around British Columbia. You can't drive through the town of Vanderhoof without seeing Maddie's face multiple times. She's on billboards, signs, shop windows and on cars. Despite coverage in both the national and international press in North America, Maddie is still missing. There are many theories swirling around this. this case, from a wild animal being responsible to American serial killer Israel Keys,

who was known to operate in the states of Washington and Alaska. Theories can be interesting to delve into, but most have been debunked and cleared by the RCMP, and Maddie's family would prefer to keep the focus of the investigation away from these. For example, there's a lot of speculation about Jordy's behavior and actions. But Maddie's mum Dawn told me that Jordy has been put through the ringer and does not know anything about what happened to Maddie. Here's what Madison's family believes. Maddie is not in the Hogsback Lake area.

They are confident that the many organised searches of the area and surrounds were so comprehensive that if she was there, she certainly would have been found. The prevailing theory in the case is that Maddie left the campsite, by vehicle, whether willingly or not. Her bulky keychain and iPhone have never been recovered, and there were no signs of a struggle at the campsite, so it can't be ruled out that she left with someone she knew, someone who possibly had sinister intentions.

Her purse and money, which she had already locked in her truck for safekeeping, was simply forgotten. While the RCMP are confident they knew everyone, who was at the party and their movements, this doesn't preclude someone from noticing Maddie was left alone at the campsite and going back later. Unfortunately, no amount of speculation can lead to the answers needed in this case. The family believes Maddie is waiting to be found and someone knows what happened to her and hasn't yet come forward. Even though the Scott family doesn't believe she's still in the Hogsback Lake area, they have continued to hold the All In for Maddie

poker ride and fundraiser there every year to keep her memory alive and fresh in everyone's mind. The funds raised helped pay for printing of more missing posters and other promotional items that her family sends all over the world. Sadly, the poker ride had to be cancelled because of the pandemic. Dawn Scott told the Vanderhoof Omnika expressed that people ask her all the time how they're able to carry on. She answered, how do you not? Quote, Maddie is not murdered. She is missing and people need to be aware of that.

2021 will mark the 10-year anniversary of Madison Scott's disappearance. A vibrant, intelligent and capable woman has been away from her family for far too long, and it's time to bring Maddie home. To help find Madison Scott, visit Madisonscott.ca or find mattie.ca. It's Maddie with a Y. You can learn more about the case and join me in donating through the website to continue to raise awareness. There's also a Facebook group called Help Find Madison Scott that has up-to-date information and I highly recommend you watch the documentary The Vanishing of Madison Scott,

which is the one considered accurate by her family. The investigation to find Maddie is still active and ongoing, and the $100,000 reward posted by her family still stands. Maddie is 5'4, 170 pounds, with ginger-colored hair, green eyes, and she has a nose ring and a tattoo of a bird silhouette outline on her, inner left wrist. Anyone with information can contact the Vanderhoof R-CMP at 250-567-22222. Or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-T-I-P-S.

You can find links to everything referenced here in the show notes and on the page for this episode at Canadian True Crime.ca. Thanks for listening and special thanks to Maddie's mum, Dawn Scott and Teresa Phillips from the fundraising and search team for their help with this episode. I sincerely hope that Maddie is found soon. Thanks also to Charlie from the podcast, Crime Lines, for helping me put together this episode. Charlie covers primarily mysteries and is highly regarded for her research and analysis, and she has recently released an episode on a Canadian case that I know many of you have asked about.

Take a listen. I want to say a huge thank you to Christy for giving me a chance to give you my elevator pitch of sorts for crime lines. I have covered a few Canadian cases and a recent one was the unsolved murders of Barry and Honey Sherman. Barry, a billionaire pharmaceutical exec and his wife Honey, the woman who gave their money away to charity, were both found dead in their Toronto mansion. Though known for philanthropy, the truth is the list of enemies of Barry Sherman isn't a short list. The generous benefactor was also a shrewd businessman. But the question is, who hated the Sherman's enough to want both of them dead?

Or who benefited? You can find crime lines in your favorite podcast app. That's crime lines in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever. you listen. Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production funded through advertising and the generosity of supporters on Patreon and Supercast. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love for you to tell a friend or leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. For as little as a few dollars a month, supporters get ad-free versions of every episode before they're released to the main feed. There's also a few bonus episodes, as well as a monthly debrief episode where I take you behind the scenes.

Visit canadiantruecrime.ca.ca.com slash support to learn more. A percentage of profits and all proceeds of merch sales are donated regularly to Canadian charitable organizations related to helping victims and survivors of injustice. Thanks to the host of True for voicing the disclaimer and also to We Talk of Dreams who compose the theme song. I'll be back soon with another Canadian true crime story. See you then.