Death of Madison Scott

Madison "Maddy" Geraldine Scott was a Canadian woman who disappeared on 28 May 2011, after a party she attended at Hogsback Lake, 25 kilometers southeast of Vanderhoof, British Columbia.

Maddy Scott
Photo of missing person Scott
Born(1991-04-29)29 April 1991
Disappeared28 May 2011 (aged 20)
Vanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada
Body discoveredVanderhoof, British Columbia, Canada
EducationNechako Valley Secondary School
OccupationApprentice heavy duty mechanic
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)

Twelve years and one day after her disappearance, on 29 May 2023, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated the remains of Madison Scott had been identified after being found earlier that month at a rural property on the east side of Vanderhoof.[1]

Background

Madison Scott was born to Eldon and Dawn Scott on April 29, 1991; she had two siblings, Ben and Georgia. She enjoyed dirt biking, figure skating, horseback riding, team sports and hanging out with her friends.[2] Scott worked as an apprentice heavy duty mechanic in the logging industry with her father. She was described by her brother as someone who was as comfortable in a dress as she was in work coveralls.[3][2] Scott spent most of her life in Vanderhoof, where she graduated from Nechako Valley Secondary School in 2009.[4][3]

Physical characteristics
Tattoo Maddy Scott got on her inside left wrist the month before her disappearance.
Tattoo Madison Scott got on her inside left wrist the month before her disappearance

At the time of her disappearance, Scott was described as Caucasian, 20 years old, weighing 160–180 pounds (73–82 kg), with a height of 5 feet 4 inches (163 cm), green eyes, and natural ginger hair color. She had a nose piercing and numerous ear piercings. Scott had the inside of her left wrist tattooed with the image of a bird.[5]

Character and personal life

Scott was described as having a vivacious, fun-loving, playful, social personality and would often do things on the spur of the moment.[2] She was reportedly caring, affectionate, and generous. Scott enjoyed performing with and for her friends in short amateur video productions.[2][4] Scott was mostly focused on social endeavours at school, although she met the academic demands of her school.[2]

Disappearance

Scott traveled to Hogsback Lake in her white 1990 Ford F-150 pickup truck[6] with her friend Jordi Bolduc for a party on the evening of May 27, 2011, but had retired to her tent and sleeping bag.[2] Scott sent text messages to her father.[7]

A fight broke out around midnight and Bolduc, injured, left with her new boyfriend. According to Bolduc, she asked Scott to go, but Scott declined. Bolduc and her boyfriend came back to the campsite at about 8:30 a.m. the next morning to collect Bolduc's clothes and sleeping bag. Bolduc found Scott's tent unzipped with her sleeping bags and items moved to the side. She said that she didn't see Scott and didn't report Scott's absence to anyone.[2]

Timeline
Approximate timeline of Madison Scott's movements
Note Start End
Scott went to Hogsback Lake with Jordi Bolduc and gathered firewood.[2] 20:00, 27 May 2011 20:30, 27 May 2011
Scott returned home to pick up a larger tent and poles. She talked briefly with her mother.[2] 20:30, 27 May 2011 21:30, 27 May 2011
Scott arrived back at Hogsback, set up the tent, and settled in for night during the party.[2] 21:30, 27 May 2011 22:00, 27 May 2011
Scott had a text conversation with her father.[7] 23:00, 27 May 2011 00:30, 28 May 2011
Bolduc asked Scott to leave with her and Bolduc's boyfriend. Scott declined to leave with them. She stayed in her tent.[2][4] 00:30, 28 May 2011 01:40, 28 May 2011
Some people from the party asked if Scott wanted to leave with them. People left in groups.[2] 01:40, 28 May 2011 03:00, 28 May 2011
Bolduc reported she returned to Hogsback to pick up her sleeping bag and clothes and discovered Scott's tent unzipped and her sleeping bag pushed to the side. Bolduc didn't see Scott.[2] 08:30, 28 May 2011 08:30, 28 May 2011
A larger party on Saturday night had approximately 150 people in attendance.[8] Scott's tent had been flattened.[9] 28 May 2011 29 May 2011
Scott's parents arrived at Hogsback Lake, where they find the collapsed tent and locked pickup truck. Dawn called RCMP to report the disappearance.[2] 12:30 29 May 2011 12:30 29 May 2011

Second party

A second party occurred where Scott was last seen in the evening of Saturday 28 May 2011.[10] Someone flattened Scott's tent; this individual was identified and questioned by RCMP, but nothing was reported to the public regarding motives.[8][9]

Investigation
Re-enactment of Maddy's Campsite.
Re-creation of Madison Scott's campsite

RCMP said that there was no sign of a struggle.[3] Apart from the clothes which she was wearing, the only two items known to be missing with her were her iPhone 4 with a light blue case and a large bundle of keys, including a Ford key, on a Gothic style lanyard.[11]

Search effort

The area around Hogsback Lake was searched extensively.[12] Hogsback Lake is about 128 acres and 22 feet at its deepest, with clear water (10+ feet visibility). It is located 26 km southeast of Vanderhoof.[13] Soil type in the area is mainly glacial till composed of sand, gravel and clay, with a basalt bedrock.[14]

Bumper sticker, raising awareness for Maddy Scott disappearance.
Bumper sticker for raising awareness for Madison Scott disappearance

The area has been searched by foot, quad, horseback, helicopter using a forward-looking infrared camera, divers, cadaver dogs, boat, car and truck. According to Dawn Scott, there was a particularly extensive search effort in the initial days of the disappearance, with search crews walking in extended lines, hand-in-hand, checking in at 10 p.m., cadaver dogs searching and dive teams scouring the lake.[15] The helicopter search included the use of forward-looking infrared in the early morning hours, as the ground was cool and body heat would stand out. The helicopter search covered an area east to west between Isle Pierre and Fraser Lake, and north to south between Fort St. James and south of Sinkut Mountain (Finger Lake/Paddock Lake), totaling an area of approximately 2788.16 km2 (50 km x 71 km ellipse). The boat search included the use of side-scanning sonar.[2]

Madison Scott's family and friends distributed information about the disappearance via billboards, signs, and media.[16] A reward of $100,000 was advertised for anyone sharing information leading to the arrest of whoever was responsible.[1] The family and friends of Scott put on an annual poker ride to raise awareness.[17][18] Case coverage in media includes an episode of 48 Hours, a documentary film produced by Scottish director Steven F. Scouller, video blogs and a Crime Stoppers video about her disappearance.[4][2][15][19][3][11]

Theories

RCMP saw no evidence of anything that would cause Scott to leave the campsite on her own, such as a flat tire.[3] Rick Beatty from Vanderhoof Search and Rescue said that, like RCMP, many assisting the search came to the conclusion that Scott must have left via vehicle because there was no evidence to indicate that she left by foot.[20]

Foul play

RCMP believe that foul play is involved in the disappearance of Madison Scott.[21]

Jordi Bolduc reported that some people unknown to her arrived at the party later.[2] Police stated that they had interviewed all the partygoers of the night of 27 May 2011 and reported that they had no reason to believe that a party attendee was responsible for Scott's disappearance and had not identified anyone who would have had a grudge against Scott or a reason to harm her. The police reported that people cooperated with requests for polygraph tests.[2][4]

Some have theorized that Scott's disappearance is related to the Highway of Tears and missing and murdered indigenous women along the Highway 16 corridor, but Scott's case is not classed as such because it does not fit the criteria.[22][4]

Another theory is the involvement of Fribjon Bjornson, a 28-year-old single father who had a history of drug abuse. In an interview for 48 Hours, Bolduc said that Scott and Bjornson had spent time together socially. Police investigated Bjornson's potential involvement with Scott's disappearance, but police and the victims' families do not believe there are any significant links between the two cases.[23][2][4] Bjornson was murdered in 2012, in Nak'azdli.[24]

Discovery of remains

Madison Scott's remains were discovered and identified in May 2023 at a rural property several kilometres from Hogsback Lake.[16][1] A vigil was held on Saturday 3 June 2023 at Nechako Valley Secondary School.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Remains of Madison Scott found 12 years after mysterious disappearance from party near Vanderhoof, B.C." CBC News. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. The Vanishing of Madison Scott, archived from the original on 2019-04-29, retrieved 2018-12-30
  3. Friel, Bob (2012-06-13). "The Wilderness Highway Where People Vanish". Outside Online. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  4. "'48 Hours' explores the mysteries and murders along the Highway of Tears". CBS News. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  5. Colville, Genieve (6 December 2011). "Posters". Help Find Madison Scott. Archived from the original on 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  6. "Madison Scott disappearance remains unsolved". Prince George Citizen. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  7. Kurjata, Andrew (2023-05-23). "Madison Scott's disappearance haunted Vanderhoof for 12 years. Now, the community is grappling with her death". CBC News. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  8. Macgillivray, Colin (2018-05-28). "The search continues seven years later". Vanderhoof Omineca Express. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  9. Parhar, Anan (2022-05-12). ""We are not stopping our search until she comes home": Madison Scott missing for 11 years". Langley Advance Times. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  10. "Search for missing 20-year-old suspended". CTV. 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  11. "Crime Stoppers: Mysterious disappearance of Madison Scott". Global News. 2017-04-12. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  12. Peebles, Frank (2011-06-01). "Scott search shifts gears". Prince George Citizen. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  13. "Hogsback Lake". Angler's Atlas. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  14. "Government of Canada Publications" (PDF). Government of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  15. Lordan, John, "Madison Scott's Mother Comments", BrainScratch Searchlight, archived from the original on 2020-02-29, retrieved 2019-01-02
  16. Nielsen, Mark (2023-05-29). "Break in Madison Scott case shocks Vanderhoof mayor, MLA, MP". Vancouver Is Awesome. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  17. Parhar, Aman (2021-05-28). "'What the hell happened?' Asks mother of missing B.C. woman Madison Scott - Saanich News". Saanich News. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  18. Parhar, Aman (2022-05-30). "Photos: Poker ride held to raise awareness about Madison Scott's disappearance". Vanderhoof Omineca Express. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  19. Hallan, Danelle, "Madison Scott: Left Alone and Vanished from a Camp Site", Danelle Hallan, retrieved 2023-06-02
  20. Wright, Hannah (2011-06-06). "Vanderhoof woman still missing". Vanderhoof Omineca Express. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  21. Brend, Yvette (May 28, 2016). "Still no trace of Madison Scott who vanished near Vanderhoof 5 years ago; RCMP re-ignite case". CBC. Archived from the original on 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  22. Wearmouth, Dione (2021-01-09). "Nearly decade long case of missing Vanderhoof woman showcased on international podcast". My Prince George Now. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  23. "Northern B.C. homicide witnesses silenced by gang fears". CBC. October 17, 2012. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  24. Nielsen, Mark (2016-11-18). "Murder victim suffered gruesome death, court hears". Prince George Citizen. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
  25. Robinson, Kristen (June 4, 2023). "Candlelight vigil for Madison Scott in Vanderhoof, B.C. attended by 2,000 people". Global News. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
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