Watchdog investigating after missing youth found dead in Smithers, B.C.

SURREY — British Columbia’s civilian police watchdog agency is investigating after a girl was found dead on a park trail in Smithers, B.C., a day after she was reported missing.

The Independent Investigations Office says the case happened in December, when staff at a residence reported that the youth living there had gone missing.

Investigators say she last made contact by phone at around 9 p.m. on Dec. 26, and her body was found on a walking trail in Riverside Park shortly after 10 a.m. the next day.

The IIO says the girl was last reported wearing a white puffy jacket and blue jeans at the time she went missing, but her body was found dressed in grey pajama pants with a black shirt and sweater when discovered.

RCMP in Smithers originally reported the case as a sudden death and said there was no increased risk to public safety, but no other details were released.

The watchdog agency says it is now seeking witnesses with information or video footage relating to the case to come forward, and it is trying to determine if police action had any connection to the death.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2026.