Difficulty in identifying bodies and remains sold to customers. Identifying all the remains became complicated because police feared that Pickton had cannibalized some of his victims. In 2004, two years after the first search, prosecutors revealed that the farmer may have crushed his victims and mixed them with pork products from his farm, then sold them to his customers.
Criticism of police actions. Although Vancouver police received several reports about the disappearance of dozens of women and evidence linking Pickton to the disappearances, agents refused for years to investigate the pig farmer.
Apologies to the families. In 2010, three years after Pickton was convicted of the murders, Vancouver police issued an official apology to the victims’ families for ignoring the women’s disappearance for years.
Parole
In February of this year, at the age of 70, he became eligible to apply for parole. Pickton was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years in 2007. However, a Canadian law says that prison sentences can only be served simultaneously — and not consecutively. This means that Pickton is now eligible to apply for day parole — and can apply for full parole starting in 2027.
Victims’ families react. According to the Daily Mail, the victims’ families reacted with outrage to the news, with one saying that her return to the spotlight makes her feel “disgusted.”
