-Kamloops This Week
Kamloops Mounties have confirmed their suspicion that the death of a missing Westsyde woman was a homicide.
Police made the announcement following the autopsy of Jo-Anne Donovan, 57, who was found deceased near her Westsyde home at the Warren’s Trailer Court on March 22, nine days after she was last believed to have been seen on March 13.
The autopsy results confirmed the body found was Donovan and the cause of her death, which Kamloops RCMP did not specify in its press release. Police have also not specified the exact location Donovan was found.
“Sadly, the autopsy results verified what investigators initially suspected, that Jo-Anne Donovan was the victim of homicide,” said Corporal Dave Marshall of the Kamloops RCMP Serious Crime Unit. “As our investigation continues, so too does our appeal for more information from the public to help us timeline Jo-Anne’s last movements and determine exactly what transpired.”
An extensive forensic search of Jo-Anne’s residence and vehicle was initiated and continue to be conducted, the release stated.
Donovan lived in trailer No. 6 with son Brandon. On March 24, a security guard and a uniformed officer could be seen watching over the home.
The security guard said the home was empty as it would remain in police hands until at least the March 28 autopsy.
Donovan was known to frequent the North Shore and Brocklehurst areas of Kamloops. She enjoyed going for walks around McArthur Island Park, the Kamloops Airport and Tranquille Farms. Police are still seeking witnesses who may have seen Jo-Anne or her grey Chevrolet Impala around March 13, the date she is believed to have gone missing.
Police released a photo of Jo-Anne Donovan’s car in hopes of spurring tips around what happened to her. Her body was found at her Kamloops home on March 22. (Courtesy of Kamloops RCMP)
Speaking to CFJC-TV in a segment that aired on March 20, prior to police announcing Donovan’s death was a suspected homicide, son Brandon said he last saw his mother going to bed on the night of March 12, noting everything seemed normal. He also said events leading to her disappearance may have left her distraught.
Paul Riegert, a Westsyde resident, who said he and his wife Heather were friends of Donovan’s, told KTW neither he nor his wife were aware of anything untoward going on in her life leading up to her disappearance. Riegert said he is not aware of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Donovan.
“We all wish we knew more,” he said.
Donovan’s vehicle — a grey, 2011 Chevrolet four-door Impala, with B.C. licence plate MK8 77W — remained in her driveway following her disappearance
The Kamloops RCMP Serious Crime Unit is asking anyone who has any information regarding Jo-Anne Donovan to contact the detachment at 250-828-3000.
The home of Jo-Anne Donovan in the Warren’s Mobile Home Park, where the 57-year-old was found dead on March 22. (Michael Potestio/KTW)
