Traci Genereaux, 18, was last seen around May 29, 2017.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED
October 30, 2017 - 3:23 PM
VERNON - The mother of a missing Vernon teen says she was asked to supply the RCMP with a blood sample for DNA testing late last week.
Laurie Nixon, mother of 18-year-old Traci Genereaux, says she gave DNA on Friday, Oct. 27. Genereaux went missing at the end of May.
Nixon says police didn’t give her any other information about her daughter’s case; they simply asked her to supply the blood sample.
When asked to comment on the request for DNA and if it is related to the recent discovery of human remains in the North Okanagan, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dan Moskaluk would not say much.
“We are not at liberty to comment on what is discussed with the families that we have been in contact with since the discovery of the remains,” Moskaluk said in an email to iNFOnews.ca
Genereaux is one of five women currently missing from the North Okanagan and Shuswap areas. The others are Caitlin Potts, Ashley Simpson, Deanna Wertz and Nicole Bell.
When asked if they have ever been required to provide DNA to the RCMP, Cindy Simpson, Ashley’s mom, says they were asked last year when their daughter’s case was changed to a homicide investigation.
One family member of Caitlin Potts says she was never asked for DNA specifically, but other relatives might have been. iNFOnews.ca is working to confirm this.
Deanna Wertz's family says the RCMP has her DNA on file already. Efforts to reach relatives of Nicole Bell have been unsuccessful.
Police announced on Oct. 21 that human remains were found during an extensive search on Salmon River Road. The RCMP has not identified the remains or said if they belong to more than one person.
A 36-year-old man who lived at the Salmon River Road farm with his parents is in custody on charges stemming from an Aug. 27 incident involving threats with a firearm. Curtis Wayne Sagmoen is accused of disguising face with intent to commit an offence, intentionally discharging a firearm while reckless, uttering threats, careless use or storage of a firearm, possessing weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of methamphetamine.
Sagmoen has not been charged in relation to the human remains discovery and police have not named him as a suspect in that investigation.
— This story was updated at 4:26 p.m. Oct. 31, 2017 to say police have Deanna Wertz's DNA on file.
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