Canada's first interactive human remains map has been launched by the BC Coroners Service.
The map features dots representing unidentified bodies found in the province, blue being men, red being women, and green being unknown.
Andy Watson with the BC Coroners Service says the dots can be clicked on, which brings up a list of data, like height, hair colour, and how long the deceased had been there.
"That could be based on investigative clues found at the scene, or the state of decomposition, or any sort of different factors that come into play there. Often we'll find somebody with a receipt in their pocket, so we'll know that the last known date of them being alive could be a certain time, and that may be a clue."
Watson says the map can be used as a tool for both investigators and the public to help identify the bodies. He says the data on the dots contain distinct features, that may help kick-start a cold case.
"We've also listed any clothing that the decedent might have been wearing, if they had any visible identifiers like tattoos or scars, and if we have any photos that we can share publicly, or any other interesting clues. I know there's one decedent from the Beacon Hill Park area who had grey, long sideburns, so that's one of the things that we've shared from an investigation from 1988 that the Victoria Police Department was also investigating. So little clues like that, that again, may trigger something in someone's mind."
The map, which features nearly 200 dots across the province, can accessed through the BC Government's website.