In 1994, Ramona Lisa Wilson was 16 years old and living with her family in Smithers, British Columbia. Ramona was a member of the Gitxsan Nation and the youngest of six children. Known for her bubbly personality and sense of humor, she was well-liked by those around her.
Ramona played outfield on the local baseball team sponsored by the Native Friendship Center and worked as a dishwasher at Smitty’s, a popular chain restaurant. Her mother, Matilda Wilson, remembered Ramona telling her at the age of 12 that she wanted to become a psychologist and be the first in their family to attend university.
Ramona Lisa Wilson (Hazlitt)
The weekend of June 11 was a big event for teenagers in Smithers, marking the time of their major graduation party. It was common for teens to stay out all night with friends and fellow students, celebrating and partying.
Matilda recalled Ramona being in a good mood on Saturday night, singing and dancing around the house as she got ready for her night out with friends. Ramona left the house around 9:45 p.m., presumably to meet her best friend, Kristal Grenkie. Before leaving, Ramona was seen talking to some neighbors.
Kristal was attending her brother’s graduation that night and planned to meet Ramona afterward at a dance in Hazelton, a town 70 kilometers away. However, Ramona never showed up at the dance, and Kristal suspected her plans had changed and that Ramona had gone to meet her boyfriend in Moricetown, a village halfway between Smithers and Hazelton where he lived.
On Sunday morning, Ramona’s boyfriend called her house looking for her. Matilda told him Ramona was with Kristal. After calling Kristal and realizing Ramona was not there, Kristal phoned Smitty’s to check if Ramona was at work, but she wasn’t scheduled until the following day.
On Monday, Ramona did not attend school or show up for her shift at Smitty’s. Concerned, Matilda went to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to report her daughter missing. She was met with indifference; officers told her to “give it some time” and suggested Ramona was likely unhappy at home, had run away, and would reappear. Unwilling to wait, Ramona’s family began their own search, contacting friends and family and driving around town looking for her.
In the week that followed, Ramona’s bank account remained untouched, as did her possessions at home and her latest paycheck. Around this time, the RCMP began actively searching for her. The family also received support from the Missing Children’s Society of Canada, which assisted with searches and helped contribute to reward money.
On April 9, 1995, nearly 11 months after Ramona’s disappearance, two teenagers were four-wheeling off Yelich Road just north of the highway, behind Smithers’ airport near a group of old rugby fields known as a popular partying spot for teens. When one of their ATVs became stuck in the mud, the boys ventured into a nearby wooded area searching for something to free their vehicle.
There, they discovered Ramona Wilson’s body. Beside her lay yellow rope and nylon cables. Her clothing such as leggings and a purple sweatshirt were found nearby, but her shoes were never recovered.
The RCMP followed up on all leads, including rumors that Ramona had attended a party at the rugby fields, a confrontation with a group of local men in a truck, and visits to unknown apartment complexes on the night of her death. Despite their efforts, no arrests were ever made.
Since Ramona’s death, the RCMP established a task force called E-PANA to investigate a series of unsolved murders along this highway, including Ramona’s case. The task force’s purpose is “to determine if a serial killer, or killers, is responsible for murdering young women traveling along major highways in BC” (E-PANA website). To date, Ramona’s case remains unsolved, as do all the cases along the highway included in E-PANA.
Ramona’s sister, Brenda, organizes a memorial walk every June, where she and others walk along the highway to honor Ramona and all the missing women and girls who have disappeared along this route.
Brenda Wilson, sister of Ramona Wilson (BC Local News)
