EARLY LIFE:
Lana Derrick was born in 1976 to Marge and Darvin Haugan. From Gitanyow First Nation in British Columbia, she was known for being a prankster who easily made friends with those around her.
At the time of her disappearance, Lana was a 19-year-old forestry student at Northwest Community College in Houston, British Columbia. The program was the perfect fit for the nature-loving outdoorswoman who had an interest in logging.
DISAPPEARANCE:
Lana was visiting her parents in Terrace, British Columbia, when she went missing. It was common for her to return home whenever she had a break from school, and this time around she’d gotten a ride to Terrace with a classmate.
Aware her parents were working all weekend, Lana had dropped her stuff off at their house and decided to go into town. Her stepsister, Clarice Dessert, was driving around at the time and spotted Lana walking down a street. As Lana’s father had given Clarice money for her, she pulled over and asked her cousin when she wanted to pick it up. Lana told her she’d stop by her apartment later, at which point the pair parted ways.
Lana was last seen in the early hours of either October 6 or 7, 1995, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reporting that she’d visited a Petro-Canada gas station along Highway 16 – better known as the Highway of Tears, where several women, mainly Indigenous, have gone missing. Prior to this, she’d been to a local Tim Horton’s, Gigi’s Pub and Clarice’s apartment on 4456 Lakelse Avenue.
Lana gone to the latter at around 3:00 AM to pick up the money her father had given Clarice. She’d also asked her cousin if she wanted to hang out, but the half-asleep Clarice said no. When spoken to by investigators, she didn’t recall seeing another person or a car with Lana. She did note that her cousin seemed a bit intoxicated, but didn’t appear upset or anxious.
On October 7, Darvin and Marge returned home. While Lana wasn’t there, they noticed her bag and assumed she’d spent the previous night at a friend’s house. Two days later, they still hadn’t seen their daughter, nor had she touched her stuff. When she hadn’t returned home on October 10, they became worried, as classes re-started that day and it wasn’t like her to miss school.
Lana’s parents called her friends, but no one had seen her in three days. The same went for family members. This prompted them to contact the local authorities, who brushed them off and said she was likely out partying. While Marge and Darvin said otherwise, no police search occurred until a week later.
INVESTIGATION:
A month after the missing persons report was filed, a witness, possibly the gas station clerk, came forward to say they’d seen Lana at the aforementioned Petro-Canada station in Thornhill at around 3:30 AM on the morning she was last seen. She’d allegedly purchased cigarettes, after which she got into a blue car that drove north to the Northern Motor Inn. Two men were also seen in the vehicle.
Unfortunately, given the amount of time that had passed, investigators were unable to recover surveillance footage from the station, as it had already been recorded over. In early 1996, sketches and detailed descriptions, obtained through a hypnosis session with the witness, were released of the two men seen in the car with Lana.
Following her disappearance, Lana’s supposed boyfriend became a suspect in the case. He was a former partner of Clarice’s with a history of violence. On the morning after her cousin’s disappearance, Clarice received a phone call, informing her that he’d died by suicide the previous night. While investigators looked into him, they couldn’t find any connection between his death and Lana’s case.
At present, Lana’s disappearance is being investigated by E-PANA, an RCMP task force that investigates cases with ties to the Highway of Tears. While the investigation is still open, her family has spoken out about how poorly the authorities have handled it.
DETAILS:
Lana Patricia Derrick was 19 years old when she went missing from Terrace, British Columbia, in October 1995. She had a medium build, standing at 5’7″ and weighing 154 pounds, with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes.
At the time of her disappearance, Lana was wearing a green cotton sweatshirt, black denim pants, running shoes and black-rimmed plastic glasses.
CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Lana’s case is currently classified as Endangered Missing, with foul play suspected.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to contact E-Division of Project E-Pana at (778) 290-5291 or Terrace RCMP at (250) 638-7400. Tips can also be called in anonymously via Crime Stoppers at +1 (800) 222-8477.
Photo Credit: RCMP
Stories of the Unsolved 