Body of missing Langley, B.C., senior found months after she went missing

Mounties in Langley, B.C., say the body of an 82-year-old woman has been found several months after she went missing. 

Jane Whitehouse was reported missing on Oct. 25 last year. 

Police said she was last seen that day in the suburb of Aldergrove.

Her empty grey Dodge Grand Caravan was found a few days later.

Police said the vehicle had run off the East Harrison forest service road in Agassiz, B.C., about 120 kilometres east of Vancouver.

Over 1,000 hours went into the search for Whitehouse, which included helicopters, drones with FLIR (forward-looking infrared) and search dogs. 

Search and rescue said at the time, it found no heat signatures or scents. Searchers said the fact that one of Whitehouse's shoes was found near her van and the other on a steep precipice had led them and the family to the conclusion that she had most likely slipped into the swollen waters of the creek.

The search effort was called off in November as winter conditions set in, and the family said the missing senior was likely deceased.

RCMP said the woman's cause of death was not considered suspicious, and they offered condolences to her family and friends.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the family said that Whitehouse's body was found in a "remote and treacherous area" of Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., near Agassiz in the Fraser Valley.

"This has been a hard hit for the family, so we ask for privacy, kindness and respect as they go through this painful and challenging time grieving the woman who kept them centred and grounded," the spokesperson wrote.

The spokesperson thanked searchers and the public for their support and efforts during the search and said the family now had closure and would move forward.