New book seeks leads in 24-year-old disappearance of Lisa Marie Young

Family and friends of Lisa Marie Young hope a new book will generate fresh leads in her disappearance nearly 25 years ago. Young was last seen in Nanaimo, British Columbia, on June 30, 2002.

The book, Where is Lisa Marie Young: The Disappearance of an Indigenous Woman and Her Family’s Fight to Bring Her Home, was released by TouchWood Editions. It was co-authored by Carolann Bosma, Young’s foster sister, and Norah Caldwell, and was inspired by the Laura Palmer Island Crime Podcast.

“That was one of the reasons why I agreed to write the book, is because we’re always looking for different ways to reach out to the community and our ultimate goal is to have Lisa come home.”

Bosma spoke at a book reading at Nanaimo North Library on Wednesday, November 4. She described writing the book as an emotional journey marked by highs and lows, and said grief remains because the case is still unresolved.

Nanaimo RCMP have maintained constant communication with the family, according to Bosma. Both the family and police hope the book serves as a catalyst for new information.

Caldwell, who had never written non-fiction before, joined the project after her sister Palmer asked her to help. Caldwell said she became invested after hearing raw podcast episodes about Young’s case.

Palmer wrote the book’s foreword and said she hopes it increases public awareness of the missing person’s investigation. The family’s stated goal is for Young to come home.