Kimberly Gallop

Kimberly Gallop was a kind and loving 17-year-old with her entire life ahead of her. Remembered fondly by those who knew her, she was a cherished friend whose absence is still deeply felt decades later. Her friend, Marcia Koenders, recalled her as a close childhood companion, one of two friends she tragically lost to violence in the early 1990s. Kimberly was a teenager with a lot of friends who loved her, a vibrant young woman who, according to those who remember her, was simply written off as a troubled teen after her death, her case quickly going cold.

On Wednesday, November 21, 1990, Kimberly’s life was cut short in Victoria, British Columbia. Her body was discovered in a room at the Colony Motor Inn on Douglas Street, a motel that has since been renamed the Sandman Inn. An investigation determined that the young woman had been strangled. The discovery sent a shock through the community, but details about the circumstances leading up to her death were scarce in public reports, and the case soon faded from the headlines.

The Victoria Police Department handled the initial investigation into Kimberly’s homicide. However, despite their efforts in the critical early days, leads dried up, and no arrests were ever made. The case grew cold, joining the ranks of Vancouver Island's unsolved murders, leaving Kimberly’s friends and loved ones without answers or justice. For years, there was very little public information or media attention given to her story.

Decades later, renewed attention has been brought to Kimberly’s case. Her unsolved murder was featured in the podcast "Sweethearts," created by former CBC journalist Laura Palmer, which explored her story and the lingering questions surrounding her death. The podcast helped to bring her name back into the public consciousness, reminding people that a young woman full of potential had been forgotten by many, but not by all. Her memory is also actively honored by friends and advocates. Her childhood friend Marcia Koenders participates in Red Dress Day awareness walks, pinning a photo of Kimberly to her red sweater to remember her and to shine a light on the crisis of missing and murdered women.

Friends who remember Kimberly recall a kind, loving teenager. They feel her case should have been solved and that she deserves to be remembered for the person she was, not just as a statistic in an unsolved case file. The lack of resolution has left a permanent void for those who cared for her.

As of May 2024, the investigation into Kimberly Gallop's murder remains an open and unsolved cold case with the Victoria Police Department. More than three decades have passed, but for her friends, the grief and the quest for answers continue. They hold onto the hope that someone, somewhere, has the information that will finally bring justice for Kimberly.