Police search Bowen Island again in cold case of missing teen Jodi Henrickson

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team returned to Bowen Island this week to search for clues in the nearly 15-year-old disappearance of Jodi Henrickson. The 17-year-old from Squamish vanished after a house party on the island in June 2009 and has never been found. Her ex-boyfriend, Gavin Arnott, who was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation, said police would not find anything. The latest search did not locate Henrickson's remains, but investigators say they are committed to exhausting every lead.

"They're not going to find anything just because they haven't for the last 20 years," Arnott told Global News outside an Alberta courtroom this week, where he was on an unrelated matter. He was asked about the new police activity near his family's property on Bowen Island. "There's nothing to implicate me, the circumstances surrounding my involvement. I know that there's nothing that's going to tie me to it, so it's not really anything to bother me."

Sgt. Freda Fong from IHIT confirmed the search took place. "We did not locate Jodi Henrickson's remains," Fong said. "A dedicated team of investigators on IHIT's cold case team is committed to exhausting every lead." She added that a person of interest was identified early in the investigation and that remains unchanged. Homicide detectives had previously searched the same area on Bowen Island in November 2024 after cadaver dogs from a film crew indicated a possible find, but no details were released.

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Arnott, who was 19 at the time of Henrickson's disappearance, was convicted of assaulting her two weeks before the party. He received a conditional discharge and was prohibited from contacting her as part of his probation. No charges have ever been laid in connection with her disappearance. The case has been a source of much speculation and mystery on Bowen Island for nearly two decades.

The renewed police activity has sparked a glimmer of hope for Henrickson's family, who have lived without answers for years. Her brother, Rob Henrickson, told Global News that they need to know the truth. "Justice for me and my family is understanding what happened to Jodi," he said. "Right now we have absolutely no idea what happened to Jodi that night." He made a plea to the public for any information that could end the mystery. "If anyone knows anything at all, put an end to this; please let us know what happened to Jodi," Rob said. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team's cold case unit continues to investigate. The disappearance of Jodi Henrickson remains an open file with police.