First Nation in B.C. offers $50K reward amid missing woman search

A First Nation in northeast B.C. is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to finding a woman who has been missing since July.

Fort Nelson First Nation member Karen Tessier, 57, was last seen on July 9 near Fort Nelson, about 1,600 kilometres north of Vancouver. The nation's community has about 500 registered members and is about seven kilometres south of the town.

Community members have held numerous searches for Tessier, with the RCMP launching a dedicated tip line on Saturday to incentivize anyone with information to come forward. 

Almost a week after her disappearance, Tessier's black Dodge Caravan was found in a rural area outside Fort Nelson. Her small black dog, Soma, was then found wandering loose in Prophet River, about an hour's drive south of the location where the van was found.

Tessier is described as a 57-year-old Indigenous woman, five feet five inches tall and weighing 177 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Investigators with the RCMP's North District Major Crime Unit said they believe members of the public have information about Tessier's disappearance but are not coming forward. 

Numerous community searches

Tessier's disappearance was identified as a top priority for the newly elected Fort Nelson First Nation band council, who organized a community search for her on July 21. The council was sworn in on Aug. 25 and another search was organized on Sept. 1.

The Fort Nelson First Nation will provide $50,000 to anyone with any information that leads to Tessier's whereabouts, it said in a Facebook post Friday.

Karen's sister, Terri Tessier, had earlier urged anyone with information to come forward, so she and her parents could have closure in the case.

Anyone with information about Karen Tessier and her whereabouts is urged to contact the Northern Rockies RCMP through the dedicated tip line at 250-561-8888, or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.