***Update as of Nov. 27 at 9 a.m.: Vancouver police were able to identify the woman based on a tip from a person who recognized her tattoos. Investigators confirmed her identity and notified her next of kin.*
Vancouver police are appealing to the public for help identifying a woman who died of a drug overdose last spring.
On May 25 just before 8:30 a.m., the unidentified woman was found dead on a sidewalk near Drake and Hornby streets. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) believes she died from a drug overdose and is not conducting a criminal investigation.
Police were unable to identify the woman through DNA, missing person reports, and police databases.
The VPD is releasing photos of the woman's distinctive tattoos in the hopes that someone may recognize them.
“Though her name is currently unknown, we believe someone out there knew this person and has information that may help us identify her,” says Const. Tania Visintin.
“We’re asking anyone who recognizes these unique tattoos to contact our investigators.”
The VPD stays the "woman appears white," and is 5'6" and between 30 and 50 years old. She had a slim build and short reddish-brown hair and was wearing a bracelet with the word “dank” in beaded letters when she was found. Blue turquoise reading glasses were also found on the ground beside her.
She had the following distinctive tattoos:
- A blue star with the letter “J” on her left wrist
- A robot carrying a radio on her right wrist
- A tribal design with two blue roses and two red roses on the middle of her back
Anyone who has information is asked to call VPD’s Missing Person Unit at 604-717-2530 or email [email protected].
