Tina Nellis

In the small, tight-knit community of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, the name Tina Nellis evokes memories of a life cut tragically short. Known also as Christina, the 40-year-old Caucasian woman was part of the fabric of the town before her life ended in violence. Friends and outreach workers who knew her remember the period of her death as a turning point, a moment when a growing wave of violence in the town began to feel terrifyingly real and personal.

On January 11, 2023, Tina was last seen, along with 42-year-old Adam Roy Isley. Three days later, on January 14, the Dawson Creek detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) received a report that the pair was missing. Police noted that both Nellis and Isley lived high-risk lifestyles, a fact that immediately heightened concern for their well-being. That same day, officers attended a residence in the Mile Zero Trailer Park, located in the 1200 block of 118th Avenue. Inside, they made a grim discovery: both Tina Nellis and Adam Isley were deceased.

Investigators from the BC RCMP Major Crime Section quickly confirmed that the two deaths were homicides. The brutal double murder sent a shockwave through Dawson Creek, a town of about 12,500 people already grappling with a surge in drug-related crime and violence. One outreach worker, Jan Atkinson, who had moved to the town seeking respite from the opioid crisis elsewhere, recalled the killings as a pivotal moment. "I think things were really set off with the first murders of Tina and Roy," she told reporters. "I think after that it really spiralled."

The investigation into the murders of Tina Nellis and Adam Isley became one of more than a dozen unsolved homicides that have plagued the community in recent years, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and rumor. Police have continued to gather evidence, but no arrests have been made in the case. In a public statement, Superintendent Sanjaya Wijayakoon of the BC RCMP urged anyone with information to come forward. The case took a darker turn when it was linked to another local tragedy. Darylyn Supernant, a woman who went missing and was later found murdered herself, had allegedly told her father she witnessed the double homicide of Nellis and Isley and was afraid for her life as a result.

In the fall of 2025, a local man, John Ominayak, spoke to the CBC's *The Fifth Estate* about accusations circulating in the community that he was involved in the murders of Nellis, Isley, and Supernant. He denied the allegations, stating there was no proof and that he had nothing to do with anyone's death. Ominayak has not been charged in connection with the four homicides.

As of November 2025, the homicides of Tina Nellis and Adam Roy Isley remain unsolved. Their deaths are a stark reminder of the violent crime that has gripped Dawson Creek, a town where the homicide rate is reportedly 14 times the national average. For a community caught between its idyllic image as the starting point of the Alaska Highway and a dark undercurrent of crime, the absence of justice leaves a persistent wound.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Tina Nellis and Adam Isley is asked to contact the Dawson Creek RCMP at 250-784-3700.