Missing Shambhala Woman Spotted 11km Away After Vanishing From Festival: What Police Know

Police searching for a Canadian paramedic who disappeared during the Shambhala Music Festival in British Columbia have confirmed a credible CCTV sighting of the missing woman about 11 kilometres from the festival grounds, marking the first major breakthrough in the investigation.

Kayla Boisvert, 28, from Trenton, Ontario, was last seen at about 2.15am on Monday, 27 July, while attending the annual electronic music festival near Salmo in British Columbia's West Kootenay region. Her family said she made two unanswered phone calls to her twin sister shortly afterwards before her mobile phone went straight to voicemail.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), supported by regional search and rescue teams, are now working to establish how Boisvert travelled from the festival site to Nelway following the confirmed sighting. Officers are also appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage that could help reconstruct her movements.

CCTV Sighting Provides First Major Lead

The latest development came after a resident in Nelway, about 11 kilometres south of the festival grounds near the Canada-US border, provided security camera footage showing a woman taking a cooler from a private property at about 8.30pm on Wednesday.

After the footage was shared online, members of the public noted the woman's resemblance to Boisvert. On Thursday, Salmo RCMP confirmed investigators considered the sighting credible and released updated photographs of the clothing seen in the footage to help identify her if she was spotted again.

Sgt Vanessa Munn said investigators were continuing efforts to determine how Boisvert travelled to the area south of Salmo and to establish her movements following the CCTV sighting. The sighting is the first verified indication of Boisvert's movements since she disappeared and has shifted investigators' focus to the area south of Salmo.

Family Says Disappearance Is Out of Character

RCMP said Boisvert was reported missing on 28 July after she was last seen wearing a blue headscarf, an oversized graphic T-shirt and multicoloured scarves. She is described as six feet tall with black hair in long blonde braids and brown eyes.

Her family said the disappearance is out of character for the experienced festival-goer and qualified paramedic, who regularly stayed in contact while attending events.

Speaking to CBC News, her twin sister, Dianna Boisvert, said she returned the missed calls as soon as she woke, only to find the phone had already gone to voicemail. Friends who attended the festival said that Boisvert appeared to be in good spirits throughout the weekend and would have known how to seek help if she became lost or her phone stopped working.

Search Continues Near Border

Shambhala attracts more than 21,000 artists, staff and festival-goers each year to a remote site along the Salmo River where mobile phone coverage can be limited. Festival organisers said they were working closely with RCMP and public safety agencies to support the search.

Investigators are asking anyone who travelled along Highway 6 between Salmo and the US border, or who has dashcam footage from the area, to contact Salmo RCMP as officers continue reviewing CCTV footage and reconstructing Boisvert's movements after Wednesday night's confirmed sighting. Police said determining how she reached Nelway and where she travelled afterwards remains central to the investigation.