Police still trying to solve case of newborn twins found dead in a Similkameen outhouse | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Police still trying to solve case of newborn twins found dead in a Similkameen outhouse

The bodies of two newborn twin girls were found in a Princeton outhouse 23 years ago. The case remains unsolved.
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PRINCETON – In 1994 someone dropped a pocket knife down a park outhouse near Princeton, and while retrieving it, found the bodies of two female newborn babies.

The deaths were ruled criminal but the case was never solved.

A media release from RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk says the twin girls’ bodies were found 23 years ago this month, on Oct. 9, in Allison Lake Provincial Park.

“An autopsy determined that the infants were breathing when born, and both would have survived if proper care had been provided following the birth,” he says.

The bodies were found inside a black garbage bag.

“Upon police examination, the twin girls were found to be still attached to umbilical cords and placenta. The autopsy confirmed that the pair were alive and healthy when they were left and would have weighed roughly six pounds each. The deaths of the pair remains unsolved with many questions left unanswered,” Moskaluk says.

The unidentified newborns became known as the Princeton Angels, and the community of Princeton arranged for them to be laid to rest side by side, together in a grave at the Princeton Cemetery.

“The death of the girls sent shockwaves through the town on the one hand, however the crime also created a collective effort to redress the wrong that had been done,” Moskaluk says.

The identity to the mother has not been determined, and a lack of records of their births mean either the mother is from out of province or did not receive care during her pregnancy.

As new technologies and procedures have developed since 1994, investigators have re-submitted exhibits to the lab.

Several tips from the public have been received over the years and DNA samples taken, but it has never been determined if the newborns' mother was involved in their deaths or whether she may have been a victim herself, Moskaluk says.

“We can ask ourselves if this mother carried on over the years without receiving the support required. We do however need to fully determine her exact involvement in the homicide death of the twins. Someone is culpable for the two deaths,” he says.

The Princeton RCMP and South East District Major Crimes Unit ask that anyone with information regarding the homicide death of the Princeton Angels or the identity of their mother to contact the Princeton RCMP at 250-295-6511, their local police services or via Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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