Skeletal remains found by B.C. lighthouse keeper identified as missing Burnaby woman

Skeletal remains found nearly nine years ago on an island off British Columbia's Sunshine Coast have been identified through DNA analysis.

The B.C. Coroners Service says Burnaby resident Lan Ping Leung, also known as Monica Tam, went missing in 2006, but her absence wasn't reported by a friend until 2007.

The coroner says an intensive investigation failed to locate any sign of Leung, who was 65 when she went missing.

A lighthouse keeper on Merry Island, near the community of Halfmoon Bay, spotted skeletal remains on Dec. 30, 2006, but they remained unidentified.

They were linked to Leung through DNA analysis during a recent review of cases by the coroners service and the B.C. Police Missing Persons Centre.

The coroners service is continuing its investigation.

MAP: Merry Island. B.C.