PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Police from Vancouver, British Columbia, traveled to Portland to announce a break in a cold case from four years ago, linking a missing person to the Portland-Seattle area.

“This is a woman who died alone, a long way from home. And we feel an obligation, and it’s important to be able to reunite her with her family,” said Sgt. Adam Donaldson with the Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit in Canada.

On September 29, 2022, a tugboat crew found a woman’s body floating in the waters off Spanish Banks in British Columbia.

She was found near a blue inflatable kayak and had candy, insulin, and a backpack, but no identification.

While they were able to get a pulse back on her, she never regained consciousness and was officially declared dead the following morning.

“We know what somebody’s got to know about her. She’s somebody’s sister. She’s somebody’s daughter. She’s somebody’s friend. Somebody’s coworker. Somebody will know who she is,” said Detective Rebecca Matson with the Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit.

After four years with no leads, Sgt. Anton Schamberger with the Vancouver Police Missing Persons Unit in Canada came across a forensic technique that hadn’t been used by their agency, and has increased movement in this four-year-old investigation.

“They were able to say, based on pollen grains and fern spores found on her sweater, that the sweater had had recent exposure to an urban or suburban environment in the Pacific Northwest, most positively between Portland and Seattle,” said Sgt. Schamberger. “They were also able to say, based on the complete lack of pollen grains and fern spores that were native to British Columbia, that she likely had not had any exposure or was likely not a resident.”

Now, the Vancouver Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, and the Seattle Police Department are reaching beyond the Canadian border.

KATU’s Avery Elowitt asked, “With this new information, how will future outreach efforts be different from these previous efforts now that we have more local ties?”

Sgt. Donaldson answered, “Well, if we have more local ties, we can focus the information, and since we’ve done some outreach in the past few days, we have had some actionable tips to our email address. So now we’re going to have to go back, start investigating those tips, and build up that investigation. It may not be information that leads directly to her identification, but it can narrow the scope of the investigation.”

By sharing her story on YouTube and spreading flyers with this illustrated rendering of the unidentified woman across the Pacific Northwest, they hope to get tips that lead to answers.

Police from Vancouver, British Columbia, traveled to Portland to announce a break in a cold case from four years ago, linking a missing woman to the Portland-Seattle area. By sharing her story on YouTube and spreading flyers with this illustrated rendering of the unidentified woman across the Pacific Northwest, they hope to get tips that lead to answers/Avery Elowitt, KATU News

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“What we need is one tip. All it takes is one. All it takes is someone saying, ‘hey, that’s my auntie,’ ‘that’s my mom.’ Or, ‘that was my neighbor,’” said Sgt. Donaldson.

The unidentified woman is believed to be approximately 30-40 years old, Black, and despite extensive investigation across North America, no missing persons report matches her descriptions, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

If you have any information on this case, email thekayaker@vpd.ca or call 604-717-0619.

Populus

When it opened in 2025, this “carbon-positive” hotel brought a touch of eco-futurism to historic Pioneer Square, Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. The massive lobby is full of plants and nature-inspired art, and there are dozens of fun interior design choices throughout the hotel, like depictions of plants painted onto room doors. Salt Harvest, Populus’s restaurant, continues this eco-centric theme, focusing on seasonal ingredients cooked simply at the wood-fired hearth; the new $125 chef’s counter experience guides diners through a five-course menu with details on how and where every ingredient is sourced. At rooftop bar Firn, the cocktails play with different ice formats—spheres, oversized cubes, shaved mounds, and more—and the cafe downstairs serves Monorail Espresso, a longtime local coffee roaster. Populus is ideal for tourists coming for a concert or sporting event at the Seattle stadiums, located mere blocks away, and it’s a stone’s throw from Chinatown-International District, one of the richest dining areas in the city.

1 Hotel Seattle

Slightly farther from the water is the 1 Hotel, which made a big splash in the dining scene in 2025, when it tapped James Beard nominee Oscar Amador to open its flagship restaurant. La Loba earned accolades from local food critics for its fusion of Barcelona culinary techniques and Pacific Northwest flavors (its smoked “candy” salmon is not to be missed). The restaurant leans extravagant with offerings like a tableside beef tartare, far from the norm in famously casual Seattle. Rooms are peaceful in tones of beige and gold, with wood floors and plenty of greenery. If you need to take a break from a food-centric vacation, the 1 has a wide array of wellness treatments, including IV vitamin therapies.

Harry’s Guest House

For a more intimate experience, try this bed and breakfast in a leafy, quiet section of Capitol Hill. The quaint but stylish converted house is next door to Harry’s Fine Foods, a restaurant whose cozy indoor-outdoor porch belies its inventive menu that borrows influences ranging from the Mediterranean to Southeast Asia. Guests can get continental breakfast and room service when the restaurant is open, but the great advantage of Harry’s is the location—Capitol Hill is the center of Seattle’s nightlife scene and LGBTQ+ community, and you’ll be within walking distance of a plethora of clubs, coffee shops, and restaurants. The B&B also has dedicated parking spots for guests, a major perk rarely found in this part of town. Keep in mind that Harry’s only has two rooms (exclusive!), so you’ll want to book here well in advance. (You can also book the entire house, which accommodates six people.)

The Seattle Mariners are closing in on first place in the American League West.

Led by a dominant night of pitching, the Mariners beat the Athletics 4-1 on Tuesday night in Sacramento to clinch a series win over the division leaders. With the victory, Seattle cut the Athletics’ lead to just a half-game in the standings.

Seattle Mariners 4, Athletics 1: Box score | Standings

Even with just a 27-29 record, the Mariners can overtake the A’s (27-28) for first place if they complete a sweep in the series finale at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday.

The Mariners are the defending division champs, having won the AL West last season for the first time in 24 years.

Emerson Hancock continued his stellar 2026 season with six scoreless innings to earn the win for the M’s, holding the A’s to just one hit while walking two and striking out three. Hancock lowered his ERA to 2.78 with the outing.

Jose Ferrer and Gabe Speier each threw a scoreless inning in relief. Andrés Muñoz allowed a run while finishing the game in a non-save situation in the ninth.

The Mariners took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, with Mitch Garver putting Seattle on the board with an RBI double.

Plated 3️⃣ in the 2️⃣nd. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/RpkeiABpia

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 27, 2026

Julio Rodríguez added an RBI single in the fourth.

Tack on another. #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/jAPVBfB7Ei

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 27, 2026

Victor Robles went 3 for 3 with a double and a run scored, and Garver and Josh Naylor each had a pair of hits.

Star A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz saw his on-base streak end at 48 games. That is tied for the longest in franchise history with Mark McGwire.

Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports of Wednesday’s finale begins at 11 a.m. with the pregame show.

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