The Road That Swallows Souls: Investigating British Columbia's Infamous "Highway of Tears"
The nearly 500 mile stretch of Highway 16 in British Columbia has been labeled the "Highway of Tears" due to the exceptionally high number of murders and disappearances that have occurred
The Highway of Tears is a 447-mile (719km) stretch of Highway 16 running between Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada. And while a desolate stretch of highway might not seem that compelling, this corridor is said to have claimed the lives of over 40 people, mainly Indigenous women and girls.
From 1969 through 2023, many women and girls have gone missing or been found murdered along this particular stretch of highway.
A point that cannot be overlooked is that First Nations women are particularly vulnerable. Along the main stretch of highway from Prince Rupert to Prince George, there are 23 different Indigenous communities.
The timeline of murders and disappearances along the highway has made it difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people are responsible for the murders and disappearances of so many women - were they opportunists? Were there multiple serial killers using it as their hunting or dumping ground?
It doesn’t seem likely that anyone, even the authorities, will ever have any definitive answers.
The Highway of Tears has become a symbol of ‘unchecked violence’ against women and girls in Canada due to the remoteness and seclusion of the road - the road itself stretches for hundreds of miles, making it a hotspot for hitchhikers.
Additionally, mountains and dense forests surround the highway, and the chance of passing another person or even a vehicle is extremely unlikely, which unfortunately makes it the perfect spot for someone to murder and dispose of a body without detection.
RCMP Investigation and Project E-Pana
In 2005, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) opened an investigation specifically focused on the Highway of Tears after nine women and girls disappeared along the desolate stretch of road.
It was apparent that Indigenous women were becoming targets of violent crimes along this highway.
The investigation was named after the Goddess of Souls, Pana, as this is who the Inuit people believed card for the souls of the deceased before they were carried onto heaven or reincarnated.
Due to the division investigating the case being known as ‘E’, the investigation was dubbed Project E-Pana. The original investigation began with nine deceased or missing women, but by the following year, the number of cases had doubled.
To prevent the scope of the investigation from becoming unmanageable, the authorities established certain criteria that the victims needed to meet to be categorized under the E-Pana investigation, which are as follows:
Women or girls
Involved in high-risk activities (such as hitchhiking)
To have been seen or found, within one mile of Highways 16, 97, or 5 in Upper British Columbia
E-Pana Victims
The victims who have lost their lives or who have disappeared along the highway under the umbrella of the E-Pana investigation span from 1969 to 2006: