🚨 Cold Case: Tamara Chipman Missing from Prince Rupert, BC Since September 21 2005
Tamara Lynn Chipman, 22, a member of the Wet’suwet’en Nation from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, disappeared on September 21, 2005, while hitchhiking east on Highway 16 toward Terrace. She was last seen near the industrial park just outside Prince Rupert. Her car had broken down weeks earlier and was awaiting repairs in Terrace. She had a court appearance in Terrace that day for assault charges. Family initially believed she was with the other parent, delaying the report until early November when her father Tom noticed unpaid rent and untouched bank account.
A joint investigation between Prince Rupert and Terrace RCMP was launched on November 15, 2005. Extensive searches were conducted along Highway 16, including volunteer efforts, distribution of missing person flyers, and Tom walking the highway himself. The family even travelled to Vancouver after receiving a claimed sighting and distributed flyers there, but to no avail. No substantial leads emerged.
Tamara’s case was later included in Project E-PANA in 2008, an RCMP task force investigating unsolved disappearances and murders of women along major highways in northern BC, particularly the Highway 16 corridor between Prince George and Prince Rupert. E-PANA has examined at least 18 cases with similarities, though sources like Amnesty International note the total number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in the region exceeds 30. Police now believe Tamara was the victim of foul play, but say they need public information to solve the case.
Since her disappearance, witness statements (from individuals now deceased) allege she was picked up while hitchhiking, assaulted, strangled in the vehicle, and her body dumped in a remote area along the highway. The perpetrator reportedly returned to move and bury the body in the forest. Searches with cadaver dogs in the alleged area found nothing. The case remains unsolved, as do all files under Project E-PANA.
Tamara was a young mother to her son Jaden and was known for her lively spirit and close connection to her family, especially her grandfather Jack, a heavy-duty mechanic she often accompanied on jobs. Systemic issues—including inadequate public transportation, poverty, and systemic racism—continue to contribute to the vulnerability of Indigenous women along this corridor.
📌 Description
- Name: Tamara Chipman
- Age at Disappearance: 22
- Gender: Female
- Ethnicity: Wet’suwet’en Nation
- Hair: Recently shaved; known to wear red, blonde, brunette wigs
- Last Seen Wearing: Possibly light jacket and jeans
- Last Seen: Hitchhiking east near Industrial Park, Prince Rupert, September 21, 2005
📞 How to Help
Anyone with information regarding Tamara Chipman’s disappearance is asked to contact the RCMP Provincial Unsolved Homicide Unit at 1-877-543-4822
🔗 Sources
Visit CanadaMissing.ca for verified missing-person cases across Canada.
Subscribe to our newsletter | Support us on Ko-fi | Join The Conversation On Facebook
