The remains found at Statlu Falls, north of Hemlock Valley, are believed to be those of the Sophie Dowsley, a 34-year-old Australian woman.
Dowsley and her partner, Gregory James Tiffin, went missing on July 10 and clues over the following weeks led them to the Statlu Lake area. His remains were found on July 19 by Kent Harrison Search and Rescue (KHSAR) workers, and the search for Dowsley eventually had to be suspended.
But RCMP announced on Monday that the discovery of remains was made on Sept. 23, again by the KHSAR team, who was working with the Agassiz RCMP.
The remains were found in the area of the base of Statlu Falls.
The KHSAR team released the following statement regarding the recovery on Sept. 26.
“When Gregory Tiffin and partner Sophie Dowsley were reported missing in the Statlu Falls area on July 10, Kent Harrison Search and Rescue volunteers together with RCMP divers searched the area for days. The body of Gregory James Tiffin was eventually recovered by the RCMP Dive Team below the falls, but the search for Australian Sophie Dowsley was called off on July 24,” they said.
“Since water levels have since receded, RCMP asked KHSAR members to plan and carry out an extensive search of the area for Saturday, Sept. 23. After hours of precarious, diligent searching in waterfall canyons and a boulder strewn river by rope rescue and swift water rescue technicians, human remains were discovered downstream of Statlu Falls. While a successful search may enable the family to have closure, this is still a tragic outcome.”
KHSAR members send their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Official confirmation of the identity of the deceased by the RCMP is pending.
They were last seen July 8 in Harrison Hot Springs.
A search of the area around Statlu Lake resumed over the weekend, after water levels dropped. (Dave Harder photo)
Statlu Lake is in a mountainous, rural area, north of Agassiz and west of Harrison Lake. RCMP and search and rescue found remains of a body there this weekend, months after a couple went missing in the area. (Google Earth image)
