Lisa Marie Young was a 21-year-old Indigenous Canadian who disappeared from Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on June 30, 2002. She had attended a local nightclub and two house parties, before accepting a ride to a fast-food restaurant, from a man she and her friends met earlier at the club. Although Young has never been found, her disappearance is being investigated as a homicide.
Early life
Lisa Marie Young was the eldest child and only daughter of Don Young and Marlene "Joanne" Martin. She has two younger brothers, Brian and Robin. Growing up in Nanaimo, she attended Brechin Elementary and Woodlands Secondary School. Young's maternal grandfather (Martin's father, Moses Martin) is Tribal Chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation on the West Coast of Vancouver Island; Joanne and both of her parents (Moses and Cecilia) attended Kakawis Residential School on nearby Meares Island.
Young was close with her family. Martin described her as an independent woman who was a hard worker with a hard head, and had "inner strength that was totally awesome." Dallas Hulley, an acquaintance of Young and the last person to hear from her, described Young as "outgoing, confident, bubbly," and said "She was somebody you noticed right away, at a party or a gathering, or whatever it was. She just had a light about her." Young was a vegetarian and a fitness enthusiast and enjoyed rollerblading at the waterfront.
She and a roommate lived next door to her parents in a Barons Road apartment building, but at the time of Young's disappearance, her father was helping her move into her own apartment in northern Nanaimo, something she was excited about. Young was also preparing to start a job at a Call centre within two days of her disappearance, and considering pursuing higher education, with the hopes of becoming a television sports broadcaster.
Disappearance
On the night of June 29, 2002, Young left her parents' residence at 11:00 p.m. to go to a nightclub with several friends. Her parents found it strange, as Young had a busy schedule for the week.
Young and Hulley were approached by a man who invited them to a house party, offering them a ride in the red older-model Jaguar he was driving. They went to the party, and then to a second house party in the Cathers Lake area of Nanaimo. When Young said she was hungry, the driver offered to take her to get some food. Around 4:30 a.m. Young called Hulley's cellphone. Hulley later stated in an interview, "Sure enough it's Lisa on her cellphone. She goes 'Dallas, I don't know what's going on. This guy won't bring me back. We're sitting in a driveway on Bowen Road and he won't bring me back.' She says, 'I'm bored. I'm getting pissed off.'''"
The final signal from Young's cell phone was traced to the Departure Bay area of Nanaimo.
Investigation
On July 1, 2002, Young's parents failed to hear from her. At first, they thought it was possible Young was too busy to answer her cellphone but grew concerned when Young's former roommate visited to ask about Young's whereabouts. After calling every phone number in her phone book, Young's parents contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment in Nanaimo. In the beginning, Young's parents were told to call when she had been missing for over 48 hours, however, an RCMP officer came over to the Young's household later that evening to ask questions and get a photograph of Young. A few days later, the RCMP told Young's parents that her disappearance was being investigated by their Serious Crime Unit.
Police concluded that foul play was likely involved after Young left a house party in the Cathers Lake area and subsequently, several searches were conducted in remote areas in and near Nanaimo, revealing nothing.
In late July 2002, police questioned the driver of the Jaguar. Young's mother was taken by RCMP to a short meeting with the driver. She later stated that she asked the man to tell her where her daughter was, and he replied, "I can't ... I'm sorry, I don't mean to disrespect your family." The man was eventually later released; no charges were laid. Police later stated, "The driver, like many others involved in this file, is simply a person of interest." The Jaguar was eventually located, seized by RCMP for inspection, and later released. It was determined that the car was owned by the driver's grandmother, who subsequently sold the Jaguar, and threatened to sue over talk that could implicate her grandson in the disappearance. Police did not begin searching for Young until she had been missing for two months, "leaving the job for ... relatives and friends to do on their own."