Time Line
Google Map of Hogsback campsite
From oldest to newest (updated May 31 2023)
Friday May 27th 2011
Madison and a female friend went out to Hogsback lake for a party with the intention of camping overnight. It appears there were around 46 people at the party Friday night, mostly 18 to 25 years old, and a few older partiers up to 40 years old. Almost all are from the Vanderhoof area. Madison’s friend who was going to stay with her left the party after midnight (2:30?) with a young man who lives close by in the Hogsback lake area. Either Madison was left to camp by herself or left with someone else, though information to date says she was left there by herself. The time Madison was last seen has been reported as 2:45 to 3am.
Hogsback lake is located about 24.5 kms South East from Vanderhoof down the Blackwater road. See Google Map. It is a forestry campsite with 3 camping areas, a swiming area and dock. The lake is around 1 km long, and is surrounded by forest, with several trails leaving the campsite including a portion of the telegraph trail.
Saturday May 28th 2011
A couple of the partiers were back at Hogsback campsite the next day cleaning up (10am?) and saw her tent still standing and her truck but they did not check if she was in the tent. There was no other tents or campers there.
There was a large party of around 150 people at the Hogsback campsite on Saturday night, and no one reports seeing Madison.
Madison’s parents were concerned as they had not heard from their daughter, but she is a responsible 20 year old so they did not report her missing.
Sunday May 29th 2011
With no word from Madison and her not answering her cell phone Madison’s parents went to the Hogsback lake campsite to look for her. They found her truck and her now flattened tent. Her purse was in the truck, but no sign of her and her cell phone. The police were called and the official search and rescue effort began. The RCMP and search and rescue teams from Vanderhoof, Prince George, Burns Lake and Fort St. James directed additional volunteer searchers. Grid searches of the area starting from the campsite began, with helicopter searches, and the lake was searched by boat and side searching sonar.
Monday May 3oth 2011
The official search and rescue team with additional volunteers continued grid searching the area around Hogsback lake. More helicopter searching was done. They thoroughly covered the whole area around the campsite and lake and did not see any sign of anyone leaving the area on foot or ATV on any of the trails or through the woods
People in the community make posters and start putting them up.
The RCMP investigation continues, a team of 14 members is assembled and a press release is issued.
Tuesday May 31st 2011
- Friends, family and other volunteers continue grid searches in the area
- Roads are searched by vehicles
- Tails are searched by foot and ATV’s.
- house to house canvasing begins
- people across the province are contacted to spread the word and put up posters
- A facebook group is started, and a temporary website.
Month of June 2011
- The volunteer search covered so much ground. All the roads from Fraser Lake to Isle Piere were driven and any tracks leaving the road were investigated. Grid searches of all the trails around the hogs back area, nearby gravel pits. Surrounding trails and roads were driven with ATV’s and a lot were walked. private land and buildings were searched. The Canadian Rangers were out searching for a weekend.
- Extensive searching in the Hogsback area by helicopter.
- Posters put up over most of BC
- RCMP interviewing and polygraphing party goers. Following up on tips, cell phone records.
Since that first year Madison went missing:
- RCMP continued their investigation with more interviews and polygraphs of party goers, following up on tips, and other leads. The case was reviewed by other RMCP divisions.
- Lots more private searches in 2012 and 2013
- Missing signs put up in the interior of British Columbia, small and large.
- Missing posters sent far and wide.
- Annual Poker ride 2012 to 2018 at Hogbacks lake to keep awareness and local community involvement. Proceeds went to the local community association, and funding for find maddy awareness campaign.
- The case of Missing Madison Scott covered by podcast, and missing people sites etc.
2023 May
- Last week in May RCMP receive report of bones found on farm property East of Vanderhoof, and begin investigation.
- May 28th RCMP release statement: We need your help to find Madison Scott
- May 29th RCMP release statement: Update in the ongoing Madison Scott investigation. They have positively identified bones found on the farm as those of Madison Scott. The RCMP are continuing there investigation on the farm.
- May 31st RCMP release statement: Scott family statement.
It’s 2018 now. It’s been along time sense she disappeared. The problem with this case is that vanderhoof is so close to hwy of tears. It could have been a trucker that happened to stop by for a break or nap at the camp ground and spotted maddie there alone. I feel terrible for the mom and family I could never imagine having one of my children disappear. I pray for this case to be solved so the mom can have peace in her heart. Maybe look up the large companies that have alot of truckers going out for pick ups and drop offs at that time of her disappearance. They have everyone who hauled in and out on file at that time I’m sure. Police should do more and try harder to find her. Praying from ontario.
Hogsback lake isn’t a place where people just pulled for a rest.
Theresa do u know how I can touch base with her family possibly?
Or can someone email me please maria.janse@hotmail.com
There is a Facebook page. You could make contact through there.
Emailing you now
I agree with you, they should track down every truck that was in that area. Plus I also think they should have servalience 24/7 in an area so many people dissapears. I feel after so many years people should get interviewed again and see if there stories change. Please everyone don’t stop preying!!! Even if it looks hopeless preyers through Jesus Christ will bring her home❣
Truly heartbreaking.
I am wondering if there was ever a dive team? Were dogs ever brought in?
Yes and yes
Have the police looked at hunters? Hunters know the areas and there is a permit or something needed in order to apply for the area. Bear season is around that time. The weather must have been ok for hunting if people were out camping.
I think police should look and see who applied for bear hunting or whatever season was open for the spring 2011 season.Then look and see if any person applying is known at all by police. There is a little lake close by and from what I can see there is some sort of trail that would be easy walking for hunters. I think its someone who lives close or hunts the area. Hunters are also out early morning.
After seeing the documentary I started searching for more information, but there was so little. This struck me, how is it possible that not a single clue was found, not then, and not since then?
Because of the very little information there is on the internet, I have read most of the comments here and on Reddit, and one comment here stood out – since phone and keys were not found, she might have left with someone she knew, no sign of fight was found.
Two possibilities came to mind after contemplating it for days:
1) She is in the lake, and the lake hasn’t been searched well :(, but how did she end up there? Went alone or was thrown by someone? Probably the latter.
So here comes the most disturbing part – why would EVERYONE go home that night? Isn’t this a camping site? As someone mentioned on Reddit, they came there to drink freely, sleep there and not worry how will they drive home drunk.
So there is a possibility something happened to her at the party, maybe by accident, they panicked and run off home.
2) She is somewhere in the house of someone she went with, everyone would be suspicious to me in her hometown. Too many cases involve a familiar person being the perpetrator.
There is also a possibility some psycho heard about the party and went there to seek his prey, but then again comes the question why would everyone leave. When did the last person leave? What about cell phone signal? So little info.
And what about the friend, from what I understood she never went back there that weekend, which is weird, and then some say she did the next morning, which is even weirder. So little facts and those that came out don’t make much sense.
Maybe her parents don’t want to say or post much for it to not be misleading.
Wish you find out,
lots of love from Croatia <3
Have so many of your questions too. Very nice said. So many un answered questions realy concerned me. I believe she is alive someone is keeping her for reasons me don’t know.
Has anyone taken pings off of her cell phone? If it was still with her, perhaps it could let police know where her last location was m. Also, look for any social media apps that use location!
I have also been searching for this information. Her phone must be with her so if they could track where it last pinged – they might get an idea of where more or less she ended up sometime that morning.
how mysterious… im really sorry for this whole situation you guys are in. i really hope you will find her. its really strange no one had seen her at that day…. i cant imagine that. im with you. good luck <3
This is so heartbreaking, My love and prayers go out to the Scott family and to Maddy for a safe return home.
God bless you,
Please keep preying..preyers will bring her home❣
7 years has now passed… its sad to hear that nothing happend.. no clues or anything about her :/
I cant imagen the pain her family and friends have for not knowing what happend to her.
I hope she will be found and her family and friends can get peace.
lots of love from Sweden <3
I saw this documentary on youtube and the whole situation just makes me angry! Her so called “friends” don’t sound very friendly at all, they left her there in the middle of the woods because they wanted to leave with some guy… wow, Sounds like a nice scenario for a 20 yr old girl to be in… not! I imagine they were all drinking too and she wasn’t even a legal adult. This is why such parties are never a good idea. We all want to have fun but there is nothing fun about a young lady losing her life, and I’m almost positive that is what has occured… I just feel so bad for her parents…
The legal drinking age in BC is 19.
I saw a YouTube video about this, and some things struck me about what the close friend who was supposed to sleep over with her said.
First she said that some strangers showed up, and that’s when things “turned bad”, but she never explains this further.
Then she says she fell on the fire, and that’s why she left.
Then she says she left because she was drunk, which makes no sense to me. She want to the party IN ORDER TO DRINK — so she knew in advance she would get drunk, and that’s the very reason she was going to camp out — to avoid driving after the party.
I don’t know — I got a strange vibe from her, and the threads of her story don’t add up.