The Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO) is seeking witnesses in the death of a First Nations female youth who was found deceased in Smithers on December 27, 2025.
The IIO says the youth was reported missing to the RCMP on the evening of December 26, after staff at her residence were unable to locate her. She was last seen in the area around 9th Avenue and Main Street at approximately 7:00 p.m. and last spoke with someone by phone around 9:00 p.m.
The IIO reports that her body was located on a walking trail in Riverside Park shortly after 10:00 a.m. on December 27.
At the time she was dropped off on December 26, the youth was wearing a white puffy jacket, blue jeans and carrying a black purse.
However, when she was located deceased the following day, she was found wearing grey pajama pants, a black shirt, black sweater and western style ankle boots.
The IIO say they were notified on December 31 and started an investigation.
Investigators would like to speak to anyone who saw the youth in either location or at any point on the evening of December 26 or morning of December 27. Additionally, anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to get in touch with the IIO.
There are two factors that the IIO considers at the beginning of each investigation:
- If there has been an injury that meets the threshold of serious harm, as defined by the Police Act, or a death; and
- If there is a connection between the serious harm/death and officer action or inaction.
If both conditions are met, the investigation will continue to examine all available evidence to determine what occurred. At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred.
The IIO has asked that any witnesses who have information or video footage regarding this matter to please contact the IIO at our Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
The IIO is the independent civilian oversight agency of officers and detention guards in British Columbia. It investigates all incidents involving officers or detention guards that result in serious harm or death, whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing.
The original release from the Smithers RCMP said this:
“On December 27, 2025 Smithers RCMP responded to a report of a sudden death on a trail near Ranger Park.
Members of the public may have noticed an increased presence of emergency services in the area as first responders and police officers responded to the scene. The individual has been identified and next of kin have been notified. Out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time, police are not releasing the individual’s name.
Additional RCMP officers are in Smithers to assist with investigative work and to support our local members during this time. There is no increased risk to public safety.
The investigation is ongoing, and no further details will be released at this time.”
However since the release from the IIO, Smithers RCMP released this on social media on January 31st, 2026:
“To Our Community,
This has been a difficult and heartbreaking situation for many in our community following the death of a youth who was found on a walking trail near Riverside Park. We want to share what we can and explain the investigative process that is currently underway.
Firstly, we will be issuing a formal media release next week. Because information has already been circulating on social media, we wanted to share this update today while we work on drafting that release.
Timeline
December 26, 2025, approximately 7:00 pm: The youth was dropped off in the downtown Smithers area, near 9th Avenue and Main Street.
December 26, 2025, approximately 11:30 pm: Smithers RCMP received a missing person report when the youth did not return to her group home.
December 27, 2025: The youth was located deceased on a walking trail near Riverside Park.
A media release was issued on December 28, 2025:
https://rcmp.ca/en/bc/smithers/news/2025/12/4348840
Because there was prior police involvement, responsibility for the review of police actions related to this call for service was assigned to the Independent Investigations Office of BC (IIO). As part of that process, a review is underway to determine whether any connection exists between the death of this young person and police actions or inaction.
Once this review is underway, RCMP are not permitted to comment publicly or provide updates related to police actions. Public communication related to that aspect comes from the IIO.
We waited to share further information about this tragedy until the IIO had issued their public release, to ensure the integrity of their independent review.
At the same time, Smithers RCMP continue to actively investigate the circumstances and events leading up to the youth’s death, separate from the IIO’s review. These two processes occur at the same time.
From the very beginning, our members have been in contact with the family and have remained in communication with them throughout.
This has deeply affected many people in our community. To respect those who are grieving and to keep this space focused on accurate information, comments on this post will be turned off.
We will be posting a formal media release next week with additional details, including what we are able to share about our ongoing investigation, and after consulting with the family.”
CFTK-TV news has reached out to the RCMP for further clarifications, including the meaning of “sudden death”, an inquiry into the cause of death, reasoning as to why was there certainly “no increased risk to public safety”, and whether the death was deemed suspicious in nature. We continue to await response, along with the expected formal media release.