This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Jill Lyons, Karen Nabors Dead: Investigators Explain Timing Of Warning

Why Police Delayed A Public Warning
Imgur

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) says it held off a public warning after an online escort was found dead two weeks ago because there was evidence to suggest it was a suicide.

Jill Lyons, 45, was found dead in her New Westminster apartment complex on Aug. 12, but police did not issue a public warning until 48-year-old Karen Nabors, also an escort, who knew Lyons, was found dead in the same building on Aug. 25.

Investigators initially found evidence to suggest Lyons' death was a suicide but the New Westminster police processed the death as suspicious in order to obtain any evidence that could be found, said a Tuesday news release.

"Where suicide is a possibility, there is a particular emphasis on the protection of information in order to be empathetic and understanding to the sensitive issues that surround some of our cases," IHIT spokesperson Jennifer Pound said in the news release.

Both deaths are now being treated as suspicious and the investigations are in their early stages. Investigators have neither confirmed nor ruled out foul play.

An autopsy for Nabors has been scheduled for Tuesday, while toxicology results are pending for both victims.

IHIT warned people who live a high risk lifestyle to take extra precautions.

Also on HuffPost

Elsie Sebastian

Missing Women Inquiry: The Victims

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.