It was in Esquimalt, British Columbia, on May 11, 2005, that 42-year-old Belinda Ann Cameron, a mother of two young daughters, was last seen. An Indigenous woman from the Peguis First Nation, Belinda was a familiar face in her community. On that particular day, she was spotted at the Shoppers Drug Mart on Esquimalt Road. At the time of her disappearance, she was described as being five-foot-eight and weighing approximately 170 pounds, with a medium to large build.
She had long, dark brown hair that she parted in the middle, dark brown eyes, and she wore silver-framed glasses. Nearly a month would pass before she was officially reported missing on June 4, 2005. The passage of time without any word from Belinda was deeply concerning to those who knew her. Her daughters, who were young girls at the time, were left to wonder what had become of their mother.
The investigation into Belinda's disappearance was extensive, involving over 100 interviews and searches that utilized canine units and helicopters. Despite these exhaustive efforts, Belinda has never been found. Investigators have stated that her disappearance is considered suspicious and they believe she was the victim of foul play. Her case is being treated as a homicide. When police accessed her apartment on Cairn Road, they found personal belongings that suggested she had not planned to leave, including an uncashed disability cheque and her First Nations status card. Though she was seen at the drugstore on the day she vanished, she never picked up her medication that was waiting for her. It is known that Belinda faced personal challenges, including struggles with mental health and addiction. Her daughters, who grew up in foster care, remember their mother as someone who was always laughing and smiling, and they believe she gave them up so they could have a better life.
Over the years, the Victoria Police Department has made several public appeals for information, sometimes releasing new photos of Belinda in the hopes of jogging someone's memory. Her daughters, now young women, continue to seek answers and closure regarding their mother's fate. The case of Belinda Ann Cameron is a story of a mother's love, a family's enduring hope, and the painful uncertainty that surrounds a long-unsolved disappearance. Her daughters have been forced to navigate life without their mother, grappling with the void her absence has created. The investigation remains open, a testament to the commitment of law enforcement to one day uncover the truth of what happened to Belinda and provide her family with the answers they have been seeking for so long. The search for Belinda is a search for a beloved mother, a member of the community, and an Indigenous woman whose story is an integral part of a larger, tragic narrative of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada.Last Seen: May 11, 2005
