In 2012, I wrote on Brianne’s disappearance but took the post down. I offered to write it again for a reader who recently contacted me about a dead link to the original post.
Revelstoke, British Columbia, is approximately 410 km directly west of Calgary. It is a picturesque town surrounded by mountains and vast wilderness as far as the eye can see. National Geographic once named Revelstoke as a “must-do trip” on its Ultimate Adventure Bucket List.
Brianne Wolgram, 19, grew up in Revelstoke. She was a sweet, soft-spoken young woman who was not afraid to work hard.
Brianne held two jobs: a part-time job at McDonald’s and a full-time job at The Ol’ Frontier’s Supersave gas station, located along Trans-Canada Highway in Revelstoke.
Brianne had worked the late shift at McDonald’s on Friday, September 4, 1998, and then stayed out late with friends. The next day, Saturday, September 5, she worked a 10 am to 7 pm shift at the gas station.
Co-workers later said Brianne was “off” and not her normal self. She seemed quieter than usual. During her shift in the afternoon, Brianne broke down in tears.
“She had a little cry, and then she got over it,” said her mother, Sheryl Wolgram, in 2000.
Brianne returned home on September 5, around 7 pm. Exhausted, she took a nap instead of going to a barbecue with her family.
Around 9 pm, Brianne called her best friend, Kristi Cain, to tell her she would pick her up at 11:15 pm when Kristi finished her shift at the Supersave gas station. They were going to some parties that were happening over the Labor Day weekend.
Kristi asked Brianne to pick up some wine coolers on the way to Supersave.
At 11:20 pm, Kristi called the Wolgram home asking why Brianne had not yet picked her up.
Four witnesses told police they saw Brianne Wolgram speaking with three young unidentified girls at the 7-Eleven on Victoria Road between 11 pm and 11:30 pm. The witnesses knew Brianne personally.
One man said he followed Brianne’s car on the way out of town. There were three passengers inside.
The three mystery women have never come forward to identify themselves.
Five days later, Brianne’s 1989 newly-purchased black Acura Integra with gold-colored rims was found in a gully off Echo Lake Road near Alkolkolex Falls, 30 km away between the 15- and 16-km mile markers.
The car had hit a tree on a right-angle bend in the road and suffered minor damage (Jiwa 2000).
Brianne’s wallet, driver’s license, and $200 cash were in the car’s glove compartment. Brianne was nowhere around.
Other items found in and around the car per FindBrianne.Wordpress.com:
- Outside car on the ground: package of “Colts” (cigarillos), can of Budweiser, empty air freshener package
- Inside the car: 1 yellow and 1 red air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror, beach towel, 1 pouch of cigarettes on the console between driver and passenger seat (looks to be either Players brand or Number 7 blue), 6-pack of Grower’s Blackberry Wine Coolers (visibly you can only see two coolers still in the box – one cooler is open – the other closed, the box is only open on one side)
- The dash and outside of the car are dusty.
- The foliage around the car is quite heavy. The passenger door is ajar as described in media. The passenger window is open. Keys are in the ignition and they appear to be in the “off” position.
A man came forward and told police he saw a teenage girl matching Brianne’s description walking up Echo Lake Road around the 22-km mile marker on September 6, 1998. The man said “hi” to her, but the girl did not respond. The road was not far from where Brianne’s car was discovered.
Hundreds of people searched the woods, boats scanned the shores of rivers, and planes and helicopters provided air support. There was even a $20,000 reward for information that would lead to Brianne, but no one stepped forward (Harrap 2019).
Brianne Wolgram was last seen wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and black sandals.
According to one of the investigators, Rhonda Morgan, “There was a big CP ball tournament that weekend. There were lots of strangers in town from all over, and we believe the three young women we are looking for may have been involved in that somehow.”
The CP ball tournament was the Canadian Pacific (CP) slow-pitch softball tournament sponsored by CP Railway, a local employer with roughly 300 employees and part of Revelstoke’s history.
Brianne suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons. Her mother, Sheryl, said she was not experiencing symptoms at the time of her disappearance.
Sheryl Wolgram has insisted that her daughter would not have taken her own life or run off without letting anyone know of her location. Furthermore, Brianne had a car and bank account and was legally an adult. She had no reason to run away, and she was not suicidal.
None of Brianne’s personal belongings were missing from her home. Her toothbrush was in the bathroom, and her bank account has remained untouched.
Nearly 22 years later, Brianne Wolgram is still missing.
Every year on Brianne’s birthday, March 25, Sheryl Wolgram lights a candle.
“I put it in the porch window facing the direction where she went missing and I let it burn all night so it’ll guide her way home,” Sheryl said in 2010.
Anyone with information about Brianne Wolgram’s disappearance should contact the RCMP or Missing Children Society of Canada at (800) 661-6160.
True Crime Diva’s Thoughts
This case reminds me a bit of the Maura Murray case. I think it’s eerily similar, but of course, not connected.
At the very least, the trio might know what happened to Brianne Wolgram. They look suspicious because they never came forward, but there could be reasons for this, like not wanting to get involved.
I’m a little skeptical of the three-mystery-women sighting. If these women were staying in Revelstoke for the tournament as investigators believe, they might have stayed at a local hotel/resort. Or maybe they were camping.
That would have been easy to check, I would imagine. The three were obviously together. If the police didn’t find the girls in any of these places, were they just passing through Revelstoke? Did they live nearby?
The Sketches
I’m also confused about the sketches of the women. I’m pretty sure I mentioned this in the original post. You have the one I inserted above. Then I found this in a 1999 newspaper.
From FindBrianne.Wordpress.com, explaining the picture above:
These four pictures have been explained as only two girls. The caption below reads “Composite drawings of two of three girls last seen with Brianne”. The two on the left are from one sketch artist and witness, the two on the right are from another sketch artist and witness. The two witnesses lived in different cities; one was hypnotized in Vancouver, the other in Edmonton. The pairs are similar in appearance, which suggests the two witnesses were describing the same girls.
What in the hell? So, which is it? Four women, three women, two women?
An October 1998 did mention four girls and gave different descriptions for each.
Who were the witnesses who saw these women? I know one was the man, but who were the others? Were they together? How old?
I disagree, with all due respect – I do not think the two witnesses are describing the same girls. I don’t see the similarities except maybe with the ones from Witness 1.
At least one of the witnesses went under hypnosis, so maybe that’s why we have the different sketches. They were not hypnotized until several months after Brianne disappeared from what I understand. Why didn’t they give descriptions to the police immediately after learning Brianne Wolgram had vanished?
Honestly, I don’t think investigators should use hypnotism should in an investigation. A person’s memory is not reliable and only lessens as time progresses.
Sighting Doesn’t Make Sense
The connection between the three girls and Brianne’s disappearance does not make sense.
Why was she talking to the girls? If she left 7-Eleven with them, why? She did not know them personally. Did she offer to give them a ride somewhere, and something happened along the way? Why would she ditch her best friend to hang out with three strangers?
She was supposed to pick Kristi up at the Supersave gas station, so what the hell was Brianne doing at 7-Eleven around the time she should have been picking Kristi up, a mile and a half away?
If it was to buy the wine coolers, it appears there are other places closer to Supersave. But maybe that was her place of choice, unfortunately.
It sounds to me like Brianne and Kristi were headed to a party or parties that night. Where were the parties? Who hosted them? Any of them near Echo Lake Road?
I am more likely to believe that these three girls had nothing to do with her disappearance, and some people are covering up for others. Honestly, it just doesn’t make sense.
What reason would these girls have to hurt someone they don’t even know? What was their motive?
It wasn’t a robbery; we know that much. Steal Brianne’s car? Well, that didn’t work out too well for them.
Brianne
What was Brianne crying over on the day she disappeared? What upset her? I found no mention of why Brianne was upset, but that might be a small clue to her fate.
Where was Brianne between 9 pm and 11 pm on the night she disappeared? What time did she leave home?
Brianne’s Car
It does appear that someone fled from the car because the passenger side door was open. There is mention of the vehicle being a little damaged, suggesting maybe an accident had occurred. But that could have happened when ditching the car.
If these people were in the car, there should have been fingerprints all over the place, and possibly hair. So did police search her vehicle for physical evidence?
Authorities found cigarillos outside the car. Not many women smoke them, so I think a male was in or around Brianne’s car. What about cigarettes found in the vehicle? Did Brianne smoke? Were any butts lying around on the ground outside the vehicle?
One wine cooler bottle was open. Did police try to get DNA off of it?
How well would an out-of-towner be able to find Echo Lake Road late at night?
Final Thoughts
I believe Brianne was murdered on the night she disappeared and her body buried somewhere around Echo Lake.
I think it’s possible that whoever is responsible for Brianne’s disappearance knew her and vice versa.
Was there anyone local who left town in the days following her disappearance?
It looks to me that the investigation into Brianne’s disappearance is too hush-hush for a case more than 20 years old. Investigators look tight-lipped, and I want to know why. And don’t give me that BS about jeopardizing the investigation or conviction if there is an arrest. It’s been over TWO decades.
I guess I just don’t believe her disappearance and likely murder was at the hands of a stranger, let alone 3. I think Brianne knew her killer very well, and others are helping to keep that information quiet.
Sources
- Chan, Cheryl. “Mom Still Shines a Light for Missing Daughter.” The Province. September 7, 2010. Downloaded on June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/506685200
- Find Brianne Wolgram. Accessed June 20, 2020. https://findbrianne.wordpress.com/
- Gradon, John. “Someone Hold Keys to Brianne’s Disappearance.” Calgary Herald. January 9, 1999. Downloaded on June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/486249109
- Grindlay, Lora. “Hardworking Teen’s Disappearance Baffles Town.” The Province. September 13, 1998. Downloaded on June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/504553809
- Harrap, Liam. “20 Years Later: Foul Play Never Ruled Out in Disappearance of Revelstoke Woman.” The Abbotsford News. April 13, 2019. Accessed June 20, 2020. 20 years later: Foul play never ruled out in disappearance of Revelstoke woman
- Jiwa, Salim. “$20,000 Offered to Find Brianne.” The Province. May 25, 2000. Downloaded on June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/504644775
- Loved & Missing in Canada. 2011. “Brianne Wolgram Missing since Sept. 5/1998 Revelstoke BC (DS).” Facebook. October 13, 2011. https://www.facebook.com/LovedandMissing/.
- McLellan, Wendy and Chris Montgomery. “Vanished – Without a Trace.” The Province. September 10, 2000. Downloaded on June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/504634775
- Nagy, Sasha. “Police Hope Sketches Will Help Witness Search.” Calgary Herald. February 27, 1999. Downloaded June 20, 2020. https://www.newspapers.com/image/485937246
