By Charla Huber- Goldstream News Gazette
34-year-old Amanda Lee Langford, of Sooke, has been identified as the body found in the Goldstream River July 2.
Langford, who was camping at Goldstream Provincial Park campground, was reported missing at 10:06 a.m. on July 2.
West Shore RCMP received a call at 1:09 p.m. The RCMP dive team was called in to retrieve the body because of the difficult terrain.
Her body was found about 100 metres from the campsite, down a nearby trail that leads to the shallow, rocky river. Two outhouses are near the trailhead and portions of the trail are steep and dry.Police tape is blocking access to that area of the river, but police said she was found near a rope swing. The Times Colonist reported two men found her clothed only from the waist up.
The cause of death is unknown, but an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday.
Police are treating the death as suspicious and investigators are interviewing people she was camping with and other people at nearby campsites.
“The cause of death is unknown and we are investigating it seriously,” Staff Sgt. Danny Willis said on Sunday. “We don’t know if foul play was involved.”
It’s unclear how many people Langford was camping with. Langford’s Facebook page shows three photos uploaded Friday evening at 11:43 p.m., all featuring two young men identified as being “French” and sitting in front of a tent.
Her campsite remained sealed behind police tape on Monday, with a dome tent with clothing strewn about inside, two camping chairs and a few personal effects, including three pairs of glasses on the picnic table.
Cpl. Kathy Rochlitz said investigators are interviewing Langford’s friends and other people at the campsite to reconstruct Langford’s actions and movements over the last few days, but no one is in custody and no one has been deemed a person of interest in her death.
“Anytime we have a death with no specific cause it is suspicious until proven otherwise,” Rochlitz noted.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
“Anyone who was at the Goldstream Provincial Park campground on Friday July 1, 2011 or Saturday morning July 2, 2011, who heard or saw anything unusual are asked to call West Shore RCMP at 250-474-2264," said Rochlitz. "Sometimes, the public does not realize that what they heard or saw is helpful to our investigations.”
The park is still open to campers.
With files from Emma Prestwich