Twenty-year-old Madison Scott was last seen at around 3 AM on May 28, 2011, at a campsite in Hogsback Lake only 20 minutes from her hometown of Vanderhoof, BC in Canada. She was there celebrating a friend’s birthday. Though she spoke with her parents through text throughout the duration of the party, the next day she was nowhere to be found and no one could reach her.
The following day, she was reported missing. Her tent and truck were left abandoned at the campsite. This sprung searches all around the area with no results.
Vanderhoof is in an area where many, mostly indigenous, girls have gone missing and later been found murdered. Many at the same time as Scott. This place was known by most as the Highway of Tears.
A serial killer in the area was confirmed in 2014 to have killed around four women in the previous two years before Scott’s disappearance, causing unease in the community.
Madison Scott was well known in the community and described as a “vibrant part” by the mayor of Vanderhoof, Kevin Moutray. She had a passion and talent for photography, filmmaking, riding horses, softball, and hockey. Her absence was strongly felt. Scott was very well-connected within the town, she was said to be known by everyone in one way or another.
Her family has been searching for her since the day of her disappearance. In hopes of finding her, all sorts of things have been tried, from billboards to posters and even a $100,000 reward for any information related to her disappearance. Her friends traveled to a championship game for the Canadian Football League known as the Grey Cup in Vancouver, distributing 6,000 flyers asking for any clues.
This story has been the biggest event defining Vanderhoof. The mystery of her disappearance has been featured on many true crime podcasts and documentaries on U.S. television, such as the Crime Junkie Podcast, Cold Canada, True North True Crime, and so on.
Madison’s story has been read by a group of students at Naugatuck High School. They shared their sentiments when speaking to The Greyhound.
“I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for her family. Not knowing anything for so long even with the help of so many,” junior, Laura DaSilva said.
NHS senior Kyla Nixon agrees and adds, “You can tell she was loved by her community, it’s honestly heartbreaking they’ve gone so many years with almost no information.”
In the countless years that Madison Scott was missing, her friends, family, and community held on to hope. Sadly her body was found in late May of 2023, almost exactly 12 years after her disappearance.
A search warrant on a rural property found on the east side of Vanderhoof has been confirmed by Royal Canadian Mounted Police to be “associated with the discovery of Maddy.”
Her family says finding her body has brought them some relief but also numerous questions that motivate them to find their answers.
The investigation still remains active according to British Columbia RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson, and adds that “foul play has not been ruled out.”
They have asked for privacy as they process this information, that Madison Scott has finally been found, but she has been confirmed to be dead.
