Headlines from the past is a recurring feature looking back at stories we've covered over the past 40+ years.
In late 2003, RCMP investigators were finally winding down their search of a ramshackle pig farm in the middle of a Port Coquitlam subdivision.
The farm’s owner, Robert Pickton, had been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of 15 women from Vancouver’s downtown eastside.
The search of Pickton’s farm began in February, 2002.
In the months that followed, anthropologists dug through 370,000 cubic yards of soil on the 17-acre property.
With police ready to leave the scene, a letter was distributed to surrounding homes and nearby schools cautioning people to stay off the property because of its extensive network of drainage ditches designed to prevent flooding.
“These ditches pose a safety risk given the depth of water at times and the quicksand-type of mud on the site,” said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Catherine Galliford.
Port Coquitlam Mayor Scott Young said a representative for the Pickton family had assured the city they’d take measures to secure the property.
Young also said a application to rezone the property submitted by Pickton, his brother, David, and sister, Linda, had an uncertain future.
“What they choose to do with the property is really up to them at this time,” Young said.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
