Pollen may pinpoint the last location to U.S. of woman whose body found off Vancouver

Vancouver police say forensic testing of pollen on an unidentified woman’s belongings has narrowed down where she came from to the Seattle or Portland areas before her body was found in waters off the city. 

The woman’s body was found in Vancouver’s English Bay by a tugboat crew in September 2022 with an inflatable kayak near by and candy and insulin in her backpack, but no identification. 

Police say that despite a search effort across North American and through Interpol, no missing person matches the description of the woman in her 30s of African descent. 

Sgt. Anton Schamberger says they learned of a U.S. Customs lab that could analyze pollen spores on clothing to determine where a person may have spent time recently and sent off her sweater and backpack for testing. 

It found pollen grains or fern spores, plausibly from Seattle or Portland, but the near total absence of such evidence from the Vancouver area. 

Police will be releasing an updated video with the findings and will hold a news conference with the support of Seattle police in an effort to find someone who may know the woman. 

“The goal of this initiative is to trigger memories, generate new leads, and ultimately identify the woman so her family can be notified,” police say in a news release. 

“This case has already drawn considerable attention due to its complexity and the mystery surrounding the woman’s identity.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2026. 

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