17 years later, new hope for family of missing Kamloops woman

KAMLOOPS– It’s been 17 years since Kamloops’ Jessie Foster got on a plane and never returned home. Nearly two decades later Jessie’s family is still looking for answers, but the recent arrest of an alleged serial killer has inspired new hope for her family. Rex Heuermann has been charged with the slaying of three sex workers in New York state.

Jessie’s mother, Glendene Grant believes he could also be responsible for her daughter’s disappearance. “There is more likely a chance that this could be a connection to Jessie than a lot of the [other cases] because he did use escorts, and he was in Las Vegas in 2006,” Grant told CFJC News. “He’s a very powerful man, he’s a big guy. So the more I think about it, the more I can convince myself that it’s not.”

On March 29, 2006 the then-21-year-old Kamloops woman was living in North Las Vegas when she suddenly stopped responding to phone calls. “We ended up having to drop her off at the airport, and that was literally the last time any of us ever saw her,” Grant said. “She went back to Las Vegas and kept in touch with us again, until the end of March– like we talked daily, “

For years, Grant remained hopeful, believing Jessie was still alive somewhere and did everything in her power to find answers. “I’ve been known to call myself Jessie’s lead detective on her case, because nobody did the work that I did, not even the officer who was the lead detective on her case,” Grant explained.

She never stopped looking for Jessie, hoping to find her alive. However, in recent years, Grant has come to the realization her daughter may be dead. “I hate saying it because it sounds awful,” she said. “But I almost started hoping that she was dead, and not being abused and tortured, everything that has happened for the last 17 and a half years. Now I think her soul is with her dad and her sisters and I can accept that.”

Although she’s accepted Jessie’s death, she won’t stop until she knows who’s responsible. “I don’t want to live till I’m 80 without answers,” Grant said. “I don’t want her sisters to never find out.”

Image: Contributed / Glendene Grant with her daughter Jessie Foster

Heuermann is currently charged with the killing of three women and is the main suspect in the death of a fourth woman. Heuermann has not been linked to Jessie’s disappearance but did have ties to North Las Vegas when Jessie was living there,

Grant hopes his recent arrest will shed some light on what happened to her daughter. “I hope that this it, I hope we finally have someone that’s gonna be accountable,” she said. “I hope that once he’s gone and convicted he’ll be just like other serial killers who just sat down and broke the dam about all their victims.”