In 1976, when Heather Ede was 14 years old and living in Powell River, BC, the body of her friend Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gardner was found under the Lois River Bridge. For over 45 years Heather wondered what had happened to her friend and if the police were still investigating her death. In January 2022 she filed a Freedom of Information request with the RCMP. She was shocked to discover that Elizabeth’s case was listed as unsolved, first-degree murder and still under investigation. “I always thought that Lizzie and her friends were hanging out under the Lois River bridge and she had a fight with someone, and something happened,” she told me.
Found under Lois River Bridge
Elizabeth Margaret Gardner was born on September 5, 1961, in Preston, England. She still had a trace of an English accent. According to an article in the Powell River News on March 18, 1976
“The body of Elizabeth Gardner of Fernwood Avenue was found under the Lois River Bridge south of town by a local resident taking nature photographs. The cause of death was a fractured skull and massive internal injuries. It is known that she left her home on Monday between 7:30 and 8:00 pm and she was to walk to a bus stop near the Westview Hotel. Police suspect she caught a ride to the Lang Bay area.”
Taking the bus:
Heather believes that Elizabeth was taking the bus on Marine Avenue to visit her boyfriend Denis in Wildwood, an area in the opposite direction to Lang Bay. She had fifty cents for the bus fare and that was found on her later.
In November 1976, the Powell River Town Crier ran a story that said RCMP still didn’t know how Elizabeth got out to the bridge that night.
I was surprised to see that Elizabeth’s death certificate has cause of death “undetermined” and that her injuries occurred by being “pushed or jumped from a bridge.” In January 1983, the cause of death was updated to “suicide.” That may explain the complete absence of information about her case between 1976 and 2012.
Case reopened in 2012:
Elizabeth’s case was reopened in October 2012 after the RCMP received a tip. Shortly after that they issued a media release “RCMP have reopened a sudden death investigation from 1976 and are looking for a potential witness – Patrick Roy Allen. Mr. Allen is about 65 years old and may have information and not realize its significance.”
It doesn’t sound like Mr. Allen was ever located and Heather thinks this may have been the photographer who found Elizabeth’s body.
If you have any information about the night that Elizabeth went missing or her murder, please contact Powell River RCMP at 604-485-6255. Or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 or go to the website bccrimestoppers.com