The RCMP are conducting an investigation into human remains at a rural farm not far from where Traci Genereaux was last seen.
Police have collected DNA from the family of one of several young women who have recently vanished from B.C.'s Okanagan region, not far from where a large-scale investigation into human remains at a rural farm continues.
Traci Genereaux, 19, was last seen on May 29 getting into a white Chevy van near an old bottle depot in Vernon. She is one of at least five women who have disappeared from the area since February, 2016.
On Friday – five months after she was last heard from – police collected a DNA sample from Ms. Genereaux's mother, Laurie Nixon, telling her it is standard procedure to have it on file for missing-person cases, Ms. Nixon told The Globe and Mail.
At the same time, investigators continue their work at the Silver Creek farm, where human remains were discovered on Oct. 22. Excavation equipment was brought in last week and large white tents were erected over the dig site behind the house. Police have still not disclosed whether the remains belong to one or more persons.
"I know everyone's looking for a link to these cases but I'm praying for a happier ending as long as I can," Ms. Nixon wrote to The Globe. Corporal Dan Moskaluk, spokesman for the RCMP's Southeast District, said he was unable to confirm or deny a possible connection. "We're not at liberty to comment on what is discussed with the families we've been in contact with since the discoveries of the remains were made, nor have we indicated exactly which families we've been speaking to," he said.
The 10-hectare Silver Creek farm, according to land records, is owned by Wayne and Evelyn Sagmoen, described in documents as a "bridgeman" and "administrative assistant."
One of the couple's sons, Curtis Wayne Sagmoen, 36, was charged Oct. 17 with six offences related to alleged gun threats against a sex-trade worker.
The six charges related to the Aug. 27 offence are: disguising face with intent to commit offence; intentionally discharging a firearm while reckless; uttering threats; careless use or storage of a firearm; pointing a firearm; and possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose.
Mr. Sagmoen also faces one drug-possession charge related to a Sept. 5 incident.
He has not been charged in connection with the human remains discovered at the farm.
Mr. Sagmoen appeared briefly before a judge via teleconference at the Vernon Law Courts last Thursday; a publication ban protects the identity of the alleged victim. He was remanded into custody and the matter was adjourned until Nov. 23.
In addition to Ms. Genereaux, at least four other women have gone missing from the area. They include Ashley Simpson, 32, last seen on April 27, 2016, and Deanna Wertz, 46, last seen on July 19, 2016. Both had lived on Yankee Flats Road, which runs parallel to Salmon River Road, where the farm is located.
Caitlin Potts, 27, who is from the Samson Cree First Nation in Alberta but had been living in B.C., was last heard from on Feb. 22, 2016. Nicole Bell, a 31-year-old who was last seen on Sept. 2 this year in Sicamous, east of Salmon Arm, was reported missing on Sept. 7.
Deanna Wertz's sister, Alanna, said she raised the issue of DNA with investigators.
"They've told me they have Deanna's DNA to cross check with and if they needed more to test from then they would ask us when that time comes," she wrote in a message to The Globe, adding that the family has received no updates.
The high-profile excavation on the farm has galvanized a community into action.
Facebook pages dedicated to that search and the area's missing women have spurred lively discussion, with some people calling for calm as facts remain elusive and others encouraging the sharing of any information that could lead to answers.
Andrea Woo