It’s approaching four years since an unidentified woman was found floating in the waters near Spanish Banks in Vancouver.
Despite an extensive investigation and the case gaining international attention, the mystery woman remains unidentified, but police are hoping new information might change that.
New forensic pollen testing has determined that the woman likely spent her final days in the Seattle or Portland area, not Vancouver.
This latest development came after Vancouver Police (VPD) Sgt. Adam Schamberger learned that a US Customs and Border Protection laboratory in Chicago could analyze pollen spores on clothing to determine where a person may have recently spent time.
He sent the woman’s backpack and sweater for testing and the VPD received a report with the results in July 2025.
“The findings indicated that the pollen grains and fern spores on the woman’s sweater suggested that it had recent exposure to an urban environment within the Pacific Northwest, plausibly Seattle or Portland,” a VPD release explains.
“The report also indicated a near total absence of pollen grains or fern spores from the Vancouver area. This evidence suggests the woman is not from Vancouver but could have spent her last days in the Seattle or Portland areas.”
The woman was discovered floating in the waters off Spanish Banks by a tugboat crew around 9 pm on Sept. 29, 2022.
She was found near an inflatable kayak and had candy, insulin and a backpack, but no identification.
The crew transported her body to the Kitsilano Coast Guard station, where VPD officers began an investigation that was later transferred to the Missing Persons Unit.
“Despite extensive efforts, including searches across North America and through Interpol, no missing person report has matched the woman’s description,” the VPD release noted.
“The woman is believed to be in her thirties and of African descent. Investigators believe she may never have been reported missing, yet remain confident that someone, somewhere, is looking for her.”
With the new evidence in hand, the VPD is renewing its appeal for help in identifying the woman, with the goal of triggering memories and generating new leads so her family can be notified.
Following today’s news conference in Vancouver, VPD officers are travelling to Seattle for a media availability with support from the Seattle Police Department and Portland Police Bureau.
It’s hoped that introducing the case to audiences in the United States will further the appeal for public assistance beyond Vancouver and lead to an eventual identification of the woman.
