Sooke RCMP taking over search for woman who missed flight

Sooke RCMP has taken over the search for missing 38-year-old woman Melissa McDevitt, who was last spotted via CCTV at the Charters River and Hatchery parking lot on Sooke River Road on Dec. 10, 2022. Victoria Police had initially been looking for the woman, who was reported missing after she failed to board a scheduled flight on Saturday (Dec. 10). McDevitt, who last spoke to her family Thursday evening (Dec. 8), had planned to travel from Victoria to Vancouver on Saturday but never arrived. VicPD found McDevitt's vehicle in the parking lot near the Sooke Potholes and later released a still from CCTV surveillance video — found on Dec. 11 — which showed McDevitt entering the trails from the parking lot. McDevitt was wearing a burgundy coloured long sleeved top, blue pants, and carrying two hiking poles. A ground search was led by Juan de Fuca Search and Rescue and supplemented by the Sooke RCMP, RCMP Air Services and Police Dog Services. Search and Rescue efforts continue Monday (Dec. 12). A helicopter that was spotted in a Sooke ballpark on Monday has also been deployed to support the searching, according to RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alex Berube. McDevitt, who is neuro-divergent and may appear to show signs of cognitive delay, is described as white, standing five-feet tall and weighing 105 pounds, with a small build. She also lives with alopecia and could be wearing a wig or have short, dyed, rainbow-coloured hair.