Testing pollen spores on a woman’s clothing has led to new information that investigators hope will lead to her identity.
Vancouver police said a woman’s body was found in English Bay in 2022, but her identity has never been determined.
Her body was found on Sept. 29, 2022, at approximately 9 p.m. by a tugboat crew. Police said her body was floating in the water off Spanish Banks, near an inflatable kayak, and she had candy, insulin and a backpack on her, but no identification.
The crew transported her body to the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, and Vancouver police later transferred her case to the missing persons unit.
Vancouver police said that despite extensive efforts, including searches across North America and Interpol, no missing person’s report matched the woman’s description.
The woman is believed to be in her 30s and of African descent.
Police said they believe someone, somewhere, is looking for her and now, thanks to some new analysis from a lab in Chicago, they have more information to work with.
Vancouver police Sgt. Anton Schamberger learned that a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Laboratory in Chicago could analyze pollen spores on clothing to determine where a person may have recently spent time.
He decided to send the woman’s backpack and sweater for testing.
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The results came back in July 2025, showing that the pollen grains and fern spores on the woman’s sweater suggested that it had recent exposure to an urban environment within the Pacific Northwest, plausibly Seattle or Portland, according to the Vancouver police.
The report also indicated a near total absence of pollen grains or fern spores from the Vancouver area. This evidence suggests the woman is not from Vancouver but could have spent her last days in the Seattle or Portland areas.
Vancouver police are now releasing an updated video with the new findings and an interview with the tugboat captain who found the woman.
Investigators will also be travelling to Seattle, police said and will hold a press conference in Seattle to appeal to U.S. residents as well.
Anyone with information can email: [email protected] or call 604 717 0619.
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