Remembering Lisa Marie: The Mysterious Case of Lisa's Vanishing

Lisa Marie Young lived in Nanaimo, British Columbia
On June 29, 2002, Lisa and her friends went to a club called the Jungle Cabaret (now Evolve) to celebrate Canada Day and her friend Dallas Hulley's 21st birthday. Even though Lisa and Dallas had dated before, they were still good friends and Lisa trusted him.

After the club closed at 2:30 am, Lisa and her friends decided to go to a house party nearby. While they were in the parking lot, a stranger approached them and offered them a ride to the party. Lisa and her friends agreed and got into the man's red Jaguar, and they drove off.

After leaving the first party, the group went to another house party near Cathers Lake where some other friends were having a BBQ. However, since Lisa was a vegetarian, there was nothing suitable for her to eat there. The man with the red Jaguar offered to take Lisa to a Subway restaurant, and she agreed. They left for the restaurant at 4 am.

Thirty minutes later, Lisa called Dallas and explained that instead of going to Subway, the man took her to another party where she didn't know anyone. Dallas said that Lisa told him, "I don't understand what's happening. This guy won't take me back. We're just sitting in a driveway on Bowen Road, and he refuses to bring me back."

A little while later, Lisa sent her last text to Dallas, which said,   “Come get me, they won’t let me leave.” 
Dallas and their friends were too drunk to come pick Lisa up, so he advised her to take a cab home.

 

After that, nobody saw or heard from Lisa again. The last signal from her phone was detected at Departure Bay in Nanaimo, but her phone was never found either.

Lisa lived right next door to her parents, and she used to visit them every day. She was planning to move into a new apartment on Sunday, June 30th, and had asked her parents for assistance. However, when she didn't arrive as expected, her parents knew something was seriously wrong.

Worried and scared, Don and Joanne tried calling Lisa many times, but she didn't answer, which was not like her. They reported her missing on the same day, but the police didn't start an investigation right away, claiming there was no evidence of foul play. However, loved ones believe that the police hesitated because Lisa was half-Indigenous.

When Lisa didn't arrive for her first shift at the call center on Tuesday, her parents went to the media, and a story about her disappearance was published. A few weeks later, the RCMP stated that they believed Lisa had been a victim of foul play.

In late July 2002, about a month after Lisa was last seen, the authorities found the driver of the red Jaguar, Christopher William Adair, in Kelowna, BC, which was 6 hours away.

Christopher told investigators that Lisa got out of his car and walked away. But later, he changed his story and claimed that he dropped Lisa off at a place he didn't disclose, and she got into a taxi.

Investigators set up a meeting between Christopher and Lisa's mom, Joanne. They asked her to hug him and then questioned Christopher about what happened to Lisa. Allegedly, he replied, "I can't. I'm sorry."

The red Jaguar belonged to Christopher's grandmother, who was a well-known realtor in Qualicum, BC. However, she has passed away now. She warned that she would sue anyone who accused her grandson of being involved in Lisa's disappearance. Afterward, she sold the car and supposedly gave Christopher money to leave Nanaimo.

Even though the authorities found the red Jaguar after it was sold, they discovered that it had been steam cleaned, and any evidence that could have been there was lost.

Christopher, who is also called "red jag guy," is considered a person of interest in Lisa's disappearance by the RCMP. He has a long criminal history, including theft, fraud, and assault. Before Lisa went missing, he lived in Edmonton and served a 90-day weekend sentence for assaulting his then-girlfriend. Afterward, he has lived in various places worldwide, from Turkey to Japan, and he disappeared as soon as his connection to Lisa's case became known to the public. However, his current whereabouts are unknown.

Dallas Hulley, the last person to hear from Lisa, passed away in 2018 after being hit by a vehicle. Lisa's mom, Joanne, died in 2017 due to kidney failure. Don and other loved ones are still working hard to raise awareness about Lisa's case. They hold vigils, put up posters, and use billboards to keep her memory alive and seek answers.