Woman who went missing in Okanagan bush has outstanding warrants

PEACHLAND – The Winnipeg woman who went missing for more than a week and then was found by two men checking on livestock on an old logging road near Peachland is due for a court appearance in Manitoba.

Kara Jo Leigh Stoyanowksi, 24, went missing for nine days after she left a recreational area near the Okanagan Connector on the highway. Search and rescue crews aided local RCMP in the looking for the woman and shortly after the search was scaled back Stoyanowski was found on an old logging road by two farmers. 

Back in Manitoba she faces charges including theft under $5,000, possession for the purpose of trafficking, forgery and possession of stolen property. She has an unendorsed warrant for her arrest for several charges, yet after she was found on June 19, Kelowna RCMP let her go.

Const. Jesse O'Donaghey says after Stoyanowski’s name was flagged, officers contacted the Winnipeg Police through the Canadian Police Information Centre, a messaging system among law enforcement members. Investigators asked Manitoba officers if they were interested in extending the radius of the province-wide warrant to B.C.

“They indicated they were not interested,” O'Donaghey says. “At that point there’s not much more we can do other than advise the person that they have warrants and recommend that they deal with them as soon as possible"

Stoyanowski has two upcoming court cases this summer for additional charges of breaking and entering, identity theft and fraud. Her past criminal convictions include aggravated assault and possession for the purpose of trafficking. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.