11 homicides, suspicious deaths in Kamloops, Okanagan in 2025

Kamloops saw the most major investigations in the Thompson-Okanagan out of the region’s ten homicide and suspicious death investigations in 2025.

There were four new investigations in the Tournament Capital, with only the most recent resulting in a charge for the accused. Most, including those in the Okanagan, are also outstanding.

Among the ten homicides and suspicious deaths, two were in Kelowna, including what was likely BC’s most high-profile homicide of the year.

Bailey McCourt was killed in a Kelowna parking lot in July and the accused, estranged husband James Plover, had only just left the Kelowna courthouse after an assault conviction that same day.

Her death sparked community outcry for bail reform and protections for domestic abuse victims, while Plover’s second-degree murder charge was later upgraded to first-degree.

Earlier this month, another alleged domestic homicide resulted in a second-degree murder charge for 49-year-old Christopher Jarvis in Merritt. His wife, Pamela Jarvis, died on Dec. 16.

Along with the homicide investigation, BC’s police watchdog is examining the Merritt detachment’s actions after an advocacy group claimed police had been investigating allegations of domestic violence, and police contacted her several days before her death, according to the BC Independent Investigations Office.

In September, Kelowna RCMP responded to a suspicious death in Rutland. Other than announcing an initial arrest, police have not released any details about the circumstances nor identified the victim. Similarly, Cindy Walsh’s death in West Kelowna, discovered upon a May 3 wellness check, has not been publicly deemed a homicide.

In Kamloops, Justin Hopkins-Jones is accused of killing 39-year-old Jason Pinette near a Kamloops homeless shelter on Sept. 27. Pinette died in hospital after what police described as a “senseless attack.”

The other three deaths are still under investigation and appear to have taken place outside the city. Fort St. John man Jordan Nande’s remains were discovered in April after he was reported missing in 2023. Dillen Bain, 25, was also reported missing in August and his body was later recovered from a burnt vehicle outside city limits. Both are considered suspicious deaths.

Near Paul Lake, 43-year-old Dylan Thomas Godfrey was found dead in April, but police asked the public for witnesses who may have seen anything in North Kamloops in the days before his body was discovered. Godfrey’s death is considered a murder.

The most recent death in the region was on Christmas Day, and is also deemed a suspicious death. Joseph Robert McCook, 43, was found dead in a Lake Country home around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 25.

Vernon and Penticton each saw two deaths in 2025.

Alexa Knodel, a 21-year-old mother, died after a shooting at a Penticton apartment in June. Police said the incident was isolated and initially arrested one person.

In Vernon, an elderly woman’s death that same month occurred after what police described as an escalating fight during a “family disturbance.” The 75-year-old woman, found dead on the patio, was not identified. One person was arrested, but police did not say whether it was deemed a homicide.