21-year-old Lisa Marie Young lived in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She was raised by her parents, Don and Joanne, and had two younger brothers. Lisa had a passion for fitness and sports. She was a petite girl with big dreams to become a television sports broadcaster — dreams that were dashed when Lisa got into a strange man’s car and vanished forever.
On Saturday, June 29, 2002, Lisa and her friends went to a club called the Jungle Cabaret, (now Evolve) to celebrate Canada Day and the 21st birthday of her friend, Dallas Hulley. Although Lisa and Dallas had previously dated, they remained close friends and he was someone that she trusted.
The club closed at 2:30 am at which point Lisa and her friends gathered in the parking lot, and decided to go to a house party nearby. It was then that a strange man approached the group and offered them a ride to the party. Lisa and her friends piled into the man’s red Jaguar and took off.
The group ended up at a second house party near Cathers Lake where other friends were having a BBQ. Since Lisa was a vegetarian, there wasn’t anything available for her to eat. The man with the red jaguar offered to take Lisa to a Subway restaurant. She agreed and left with him at 4 am.
A half-hour later, Lisa called Dallas and told him that instead of Subway, the man took her to another party full of people she didn’t know. According to Dallas, Lisa said, “I don’t know what’s going on. This guy won’t bring me back. We’re sitting in a driveway on Bowen Road and he won’t bring me back.”
Shortly afterward, Lisa sent her final text to Dallas which read, “Come get me, they won’t let me leave.” Since Dallas and the rest of their friend group were too intoxicated to pick Lisa up, he told her to take a cab home.
Lisa was never seen or heard from again. Her phone last pinged at the Departure Bay in Nanaimo and it too has never been located.
Lisa lived next door to her parents and she visited them every day. She was supposed to move into a new apartment the same day she disappeared (Sunday, June 30th) and had asked her parents for help. When Lisa failed to show up, they immediately knew something had gone terribly wrong.
It wasn’t all parental intuition — statistics show Indigenous people are six times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-Indigenous people.
Frantic, Don, and Joanne called Lisa multiple times but there was no answer, which was unusual. They reported her missing that same day but the police said there was no evidence of foul play and refused to begin an investigation immediately. Loved ones believe their reluctance to search for Lisa was due to her status as half-Indigenous.
When Lisa failed to show up for her first shift at a call center on Tuesday, her parents went to the media and a story was published about her disappearance. A few weeks later, the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) announced that Lisa had likely been met with foul play.
In late July 2002, a month after Lisa was last seen, the authorities tracked down the driver of the red Jaguar 6 hours away in Kelowna, BC.
The man was 27-year-old Christopher William Adair. He told investigators that Lisa got out of his car and walked off. Later, Christopher said he dropped Lisa off at an undisclosed location, and that she got into a taxi.
Investigators arranged a meeting between Christopher and Lisa’s mom Joanne and asked her to hug him. When Joanne asked Christopher to tell her what happened to Lisa, he allegedly responded, “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
The red Jaguar was owned by Christopher’s grandmother, a prominent realtor in Qualicum, BC, who is now deceased. She threatened to sue anyone who implicated her grandson in Lisa’s disappearance, sold the vehicle, and allegedly gave Christopher money to leave Nanaimo. Authorities found the red Jaguar but it had been steam cleaned and any evidence was lost
Although the authorities found the red Jaguar after it had been sold, they determined it had been steam cleaned and any evidence was lost.
Christopher, also known as “red jag guy” has been named a person of interest in Lisa’s disappearance by the RCMP. He has a lengthy criminal record for theft, fraud, and assault. While living in Edmonton and before Lisa went missing, he served a 90-day weekend sentence for assaulting his then-girlfriend. Christopher has since lived all over the world from Turkey to Japan, fleeing the moment his connection to Lisa’s case is made public knowledge. His current whereabouts, however, remain unknown.
Dallas Hulley, the last person to receive any communication from Lisa, passed away in 2018 after being struck by a vehicle. Lisa’s mom, Joanne, died in 2017 from kidney failure. Don and other loved ones continue to bring awareness to Lisa’s case with vigils, posters, and billboards.
In May 2020, journalist Lisa Palmer released an award-winning podcast about Lisa’s disappearance which compelled several witnesses who had refused to speak about her case previously, to come forward. The RCMP has not confirmed whether any of the statements resulted in fresh leads.
Lisa had a band of flowers tattooed on her right bicep, and two dolphins on her lower back. She was last seen wearing a black tank top, a black skirt, and black high-heeled thigh-high boots. Today, Lisa would be 41.
Investigators ask for anyone who may have seen a red Jaguar in a suspicious area between 3:30 am and 2 pm in Nanaimo on June 30, 2002, to come forward and help bring a family closure. A $50,000 reward is being offered. Contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250–754–2345.
