Almost 43 years after a Chilliwack woman was found “brutally raped and murdered” in her home in Florida, a man has been charged in the case.
Evelyn Marie Fisher-Bamforth, who is a member of the Tzeachten First Nation, had been living in Miramar, Florida, for six years when she was killed on Jan. 22, 1980.
| Obituary for Evelyn Marie Fisher in the Feb. 6, 1980 edition of The Chilliwack Progress. Fisher lived most of her life in Chilliwack but she was murdered in January 1980 in Miramar, Florida. On Nov. 30, 2022, a grand jury issued an indictment against her alleged killer. (Chilliwack Progress archives) |
Tania Rues is a public information officer with the City of Miramar police department. She told The Progress in October 2021 that investigators were actively pursuing the case and that they were “getting close” to identifying a suspect.
Rues credited advancements in DNA technology.
“The technology has evolved where you are able to locate and trace small amounts of DNA,” she said a year ago.
“We are looking forward to bringing justice to Evelyn Fisher.”
On Nov. 30, 2022, a grand jury issued a homicide indictment against a man. Investigators held a press conference at the Miramar Police Headquarters at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 1) after which they agreed to an interview with The Progress.
See www.theprogress.com for details on the case later on Thursday.
Fisher was born March 23, 1947 to Charles and Ethel Fisher. She had a brother, Leonard, and Lorraine. Leonard died in 2012.
Fisher lived most of her life in Sardis, according to her obituary in the Feb. 6, 1980 edition of The Progress. She was a graduate of Chilliwack Secondary School and the Riverview School of Psychiatric Nursing. She worked as a psychiatric nurse in the Florida area.
After her murder, Fisher was brought back to Chilliwack. Her funeral service was held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, her burial at Tzeachten Reserve Cemetery.
As of October 2021, family members did not want to speak to the media about Fisher and the case. The Progress has reached out to see if they will speak now that a charge has been laid.
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