Failed Justice: The Chilling Disappearance of Lisa Marie Young
In June 2002, 21-year-old Lisa Marie Young vanished from a party in Nanaimo, British Columbia after getting a ride from a stranger. She has not been seen or heard from since
Background
On the night of June 29, 2002, 21-year-old Lisa Marie Young was out celebrating a friend’s birthday in Nanaimo, British Columbia. After leaving a nightclub and visiting two house parties, she got into a car with a man to go get some food, and was never seen again.
Despite dozens of tips, extensive searches by the Police, and community vigils held year after year, no physical sign of Lisa has ever been found, and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Lisa Marie Young
Lisa Marie Young was born on May 5, 1981, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. She and her family are members of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, a Nuu-chah-nulth Indigenous community on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Lisa was the eldest child and only daughter of Don Young and Marlene “Joanne” Young (née Martin). She grew up with two younger brothers, Brian and Robin. Family was central to Lisa’s life. She saw her parents and siblings often, visiting daily for coffee or just to talk.
Lisa enjoyed socializing, meeting new people, and spending time with friends. She was known for her laugh, her sense of style, and her ability to hold her own in any conversation. She lived an active lifestyle and loved rollerblading along the waterfront and spending time outdoors.
In June 2002, Lisa was looking forward to some exciting changes in her life. Her father was helping her move into her own apartment in northern Nanaimo, and she was also preparing to start a new job at a call center, with her first day scheduled just two days after she disappeared.
Beyond that, Lisa had bigger dreams for her future. She was thinking about going back to school and eventually becoming a television sports broadcaster. This was something she was passionate about since she loved sports and was a big fan of the Vancouver Canucks.
Her friends remember her talking about these plans with genuine excitement, which made her sudden disappearance all the more inexplicable.
Disappearance
On Saturday night, June 29, 2002, Lisa Marie Young met up with several friends in downtown Nanaimo to celebrate a friend’s birthday. They attended a local nightclub called The Jungle Cabaret (today known as Evolve Nightclub). Witnesses later said Lisa appeared relaxed, social, and happy.
Around 2:30 a.m., as the club began to close, Lisa and her friends gathered outside to talk about where they should go next. That’s when a man they didn’t know, later identified as Christopher William Adair, walked up to them. He was driving an older red Jaguar and offered to give them a lift to a house party out in southern Nanaimo.
Lisa and her friends accepted Adair’s offer, and they were soon on their way. The ride took them to the first house party, where they stayed for a while, talking, listening to music, and catching up. After some time, they went with the same driver to a second house party. By then, it was close to 3:00 a.m.
Soon after arriving, Lisa began to feel hungry. She was a vegetarian, and there wasn’t anything she could eat at the party, so she mentioned it to the others. That’s when Adair offered to take her to a nearby sandwich shop. Lisa accepted the offer, thinking she’d be back after a quick bite to eat. She got into the red Jaguar with him, leaving her friends behind at the party.
Minutes turned into hours, and Lisa didn’t return. Around 4:30 a.m., Lisa managed to make brief contact with her friend Dallas Hulley, the friend whose birthday they had been celebrating that night. Dallas answered, and heard Lisa’s voice, one filled with confusion and worry.
She told him something didn’t feel right. She said Adair hadn’t taken her for food as she expected. Instead, they were sitting in a driveway on Bowen Road, at or near another house party, and she didn’t know the people there.
Then came a short text saying, “Come get me, they won’t let me leave.” That message became the last known contact anyone had with Lisa. After that, her friends tried calling her back, but she did not answer. Her phone soon went silent.
Her signal was later traced to the Departure Bay area of Nanaimo, but no further trace of her was ever found.
Family Concern
By Monday, July 1st, her parents, Joanne and Don Young, began to worry. Their daughter had never failed to check in. If she planned to be late or was stuck somewhere, she would always call.
By mid-morning, when her former roommate showed up to tell them that Lisa hadn’t moved her belongings into her new apartment, the uneasiness turned into fear. She never left her phone off for this long, and Lisa was not the kind of person who would stay away without letting someone know.
Desperate, Joanne and Don began calling the numbers in Lisa’s phone book, reaching out to anyone who might know where she was. Friends from the birthday celebration were contacted. When the Youngs were told that Lisa had left a party around 3:00 a.m. with a man to get food and never returned, the worry deepened.
Contacting the RCMP
By the end of the day, Lisa’s family knew they could not wait any longer. They contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Nanaimo and explained that Lisa hadn’t returned home and that no one knew where she was.
At first, the response was confusing and frustrating. The officer they spoke to mentioned that in some cases, families are advised to wait, even suggesting a 48-hour period before formally reporting an adult missing. In reality, there is no required waiting period in Canada, especially when an adult’s behavior is out of character.
Later that day, which happened to be Canada Day, a federal holiday, an RCMP officer went to the Young family’s house. He asked questions about Lisa and took a recent photograph of her. It was a small gesture, but one that confirmed that the police now believed a young woman was missing.
Still, in those first hours, the investigation barely moved. The sense that time was slipping away fast weighed heavily on the Youngs. Criminology experts often say the first 72 hours are the most critical in a missing person case when leads are freshest, and memories are sharpest.
Investigation
When Lisa’s mother attempted to contact the officer who had visited their home, she was informed that he was off work until July 5th, and the investigation would have to wait until then. Only after persistent calls to the RCMP was the case handed over to another investigator on July 3rd.
Although the family was originally told by the RCMP that they did not believe foul play was involved in Lisa’s disappearance, that soon changed.
Over the next few days, the RCMP would tell Lisa’s family that her case had been taken up by their Serious Crime Unit (a division normally called in when foul play is suspected), and that investigators were following leads and tips.
By July 10, 2002, the RCMP made it clear to the public and the media that they were no longer treating this as a simple missing person’s case. They believed Lisa had likely come to harm, and they said so openly. The word “suspicious” began to appear in official statements, and phrases like “we believe foul play was involved” were used to describe the investigation.
Incredibly, the RCMP did not conduct its first groundsearch in the case until September 18th, more than two and a half months after Lisa Young disappeared. However, despite the seeming lack of urgency by the RCMP, Lisa’s family and members of the Tla-o-qui-aht Nation conducted independent searches in early July. They also contacted the media, had missing-persons posters printed, and offered a cash reward for information about Lisa’s disappearance.
In late July, police questioned the driver of the red Jaguar, Christopher Adair, extensively. Though he admitted to spending time with Lisa that night, he claimed he later dropped her off at a different location.
In a strange scene, Young’s mother was allowed to sit in during an interrogation of Adair, during which he was asked to tell her where Lisa was. He replied to the effect that “I can’t…I’m sorry, I don’t mean to disrespect your family.” Then, even more strangely, she was asked to give Adair a hug, which she reluctantly did.
Though the police considered Adair a person of interest, they lacked sufficient evidence to arrest him, and he was released without charges. The RCMP later learned that the Jaguar had been sold, and though they eventually found and seized it, by then it had already been steam-cleaned. Reports suggest Adair has lived outside Canada in recent years, including in Türkiye and the Philippines, making it harder for police to keep track of him.
Unfortunately, relations between the Young family and the RCMP became increasingly strained as the family has understandably expressed their frustration with how their daughter’s case was handled. The tensions came to a head when the family was “cut off” from further details about the case by the RCMP.
The RCMP’s handling of the case has also been criticized by journalists, bloggers, and politicians, including Member of Parliament Paul Manly during a House of Commons debate in October 2020.
Renewed Attention Online
As time passed, Lisa’s story began reaching people far beyond Nanaimo. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, her disappearance became the focus of true-crime podcasts, investigative articles, and national media coverage. These stories retold the details of her last night, her final message asking for help, and the unanswered questions that still surround her case.
Shows such as Island Crime, hosted by Canadian researcher Laura Palmer, have featured her story in episodes that explore the details of what happened that night in 2002 and the years of investigation that have followed.
Coverage from outlets such as CBC, Nanaimo Bulletin, and Indigenous-focused media also helped bring renewed attention to Lisa’s disappearance. These reports placed her case within the larger crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada.
Social media has played a role, too. Facebook groups, Instagram pages, and online forums have allowed supporters to talk about Lisa, share memories, and post updates year after year. For Lisa’s family, seeing her face and story shared by strangers who care has been a reminder that she hasn’t been forgotten.
Alongside the media attention, public appeals for information never stopped. In February 2022, nearly 20 years after Lisa’s disappearance, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a $50,000 USD reward for information that leads to the recovery of Lisa’s remains. This was a major moment for the family, as the offer, arranged through a lawyer and tied directly to locating her remains, was intended to motivate someone with hidden knowledge to come forward.
Community Response and Legacy
As the years passed with no answers, Lisa Marie Young’s family and community refused to let her be forgotten. Beginning in 2003, every year on June 30, family, friends, and supporters have gathered in Nanaimo to remember Lisa Marie Young and keep her story alive.
The City of Nanaimo has also encouraged symbolic events, such as “Lights on for Lisa” on June 30, when residents are urged to leave porch lights burning in her honor. In October 2024, the community saw another meaningful moment of recognition when the City of Nanaimo worked with Lisa’s family and supporters to plant a memorial cherry tree along the Departure Bay waterfront walkway.
Nanaimo’s mayor spoke about how the tree should be a place not only for mourning but also for comfort and solidarity with other families who have lost loved ones in similar ways. By placing a permanent marker in a public space, the city recognized not only Lisa’s disappearance but also the broader problem of violence against Indigenous women.
Her disappearance has helped fuel awareness efforts that connect local advocacy with national movements like Red Dress Day and Sisters in Spirit events that honor missing Indigenous women and press for meaningful action.
Current Status of the Case
More than two decades later, the disappearance of Lisa Marie Young remains unsolved. As of 2026, the RCMP in Nanaimo confirms that Lisa’s case is still open and active, and it continues to be investigated as a suspected homicide.
Over the years, the case has been reviewed multiple times by different investigators. New detectives have gone back through old files, re-listened to interviews, and re-examined tips that may have seemed insignificant at the time. Investigators have told the public that this is done deliberately because, in cold cases, even a small detail can matter years later.
Yet, despite these efforts, no arrests have ever been made in connection with Lisa’s disappearance, and no physical evidence has been found. Police have told the media that they have identified suspects over the years, yet they cannot share specifics and have not brought any charges.
Officially, the RCMP continues to treat Lisa’s disappearance as a homicide investigation. For Lisa’s family, the passage of time has not brought closure. Her mother, Joanne Young, passed away in 2017, never knowing what happened to her daughter. But other family members have taken on the responsibility of keeping Lisa’s name alive each year.
Over the years, Lisa’s case has been included in discussions about national awareness campaigns and educational efforts aimed at shining a light on the broader crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Sources:
“The Disappearance of Lisa Marie Young - Nanaimo, BC - June 30, 2002.” Missing People Canada, 28 July 2025, https://missingpeople.ca/the-disappearance-of-lisa-marie-young-nanaimo-bc-june-30-2002/
Denise, Titian. “Lisa Marie Young – Memorial March Marks 23 Years since Young Tla-o-Qui-Aht Woman Disappeared.” O, 30 June 2025, https://hashilthsa.com/news/2025-06-30/lisa-marie-young-memorial-march-marks-23-years-young-tla-o-qui-aht-woman
“Lisa Marie Young.” International Missing Persons Wiki, https://int-missing.fandom.com/wiki/Lisa_Marie_Young
Metelsky, Stephen. “Disappearance of Nanaimo Woman Remains Unsolved [RCMP].” Blue Line, 18 Oct. 2023, https://www.blueline.ca/disappearance-of-nanaimo-woman-remains-unsolved-rcmp/
Such a heartbreaking case. I hope justice is eventually served for Lisa Marie Young and her family gets the answers they deserve.