This Cold Case Went Unsolved For Over 30 Years & Now Vancouver Police Has Charged A Man

The 1989 child sexual assault is linked to a now-55-year-old man.

This Cold Case Went Unsolved For Over 30 Years & Now Vancouver Police Has Charged A Man
Jerry Coli | Dreamstime
Editor

A historic sexual assault case in Vancouver was reopened after fresh information came to light, and now a man has been charged.

A news release from the VPD said that the assault occurred in the early hours of February 16, 1989, when a teenage girl was pulled into a car and sexually assaulted near East 16th Avenue and Main Street.

Constable Tania Visintin said that the department never stops investigating violent crimes such as this one.

But there were no leads, until the police received new information in 2017 and started to re-examine the case. With the reopening of the investigation, they identified a suspect.

The report said: "Earlier this year, B.C. Prosecution Service approved charges of sexual assault, assault, uttering threats, forcible confinement and theft under $5,000 against 55-year-old Joseph Richardson."

Richardson was arrested under these charges in Ottawa last month, said the release.

Constable Visintin said, "Crimes against children can cause life-long trauma and stress that may never fully go away.

"Even when a case goes cold, we never give up hope that we will one-day find the missing clue that helps bring closure and accountability."

Richardson now remains in custody.

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  • Morgan Leet

    Editor

    Morgan Leet (she/her) is an Editor for Narcity Media Group. After graduating from Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, she jumped into fulfilling her dream as a journalist, merging her passion for travelling with writing. She got her start working in the print media world on Canada’s East Coast, then joined Narcity with a move to B.C., leading the launch of West Coast coverage. Her focus now is managing a large group of freelance writers, bringing human-forward and opinion content to the site.

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