The disappearance of 17-year-old Jodi Henrickson has been a nearly two-decade-long mystery on Bowen Island.

There has been much speculation about what happened to her and Global News has learned that the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was back on the island this week.

Henrickson’s ex-boyfriend, Gavin Arnott, was outside an Alberta courtroom this week on an unrelated matter.

Global News asked him about the new police search near his family’s property on Bowen Island.

“They’re not going to find anything just because they haven’t for the last 20 years,” he said.

“There’s nothing to implicate me, the circumstances surrounding my involvement. I know that there’s nothing that’s going to tie me to it, so it’s not really anything to bother me.”

Henrickson, who was from Squamish, disappeared after a house party on Bowen Island in June 2009.

Arnott was identified by police as a “person of interest” early on.

Two weeks before the party, Arnott, who was 19 at the time, was convicted of assaulting Henrickson, who was 17.

He received a conditional discharge and was prohibited from contacting her as part of his probation.

Henrickson has never been found and no charges have been laid.

Her brother, Rob Henrickson, told Global News that they need to know the truth about what happened.

“Justice for me and my family is understanding what happened to Jodi,” he said.

“Right now we have absolutely no idea what happened to Jodi that night.”

Global News asked the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) why investigators were on Bowen Island.

“We did not locate Jodi Henrickson’s remains,” Sgt. Freda Fong from IHIT said.

“A dedicated team of investigators on IHIT’s cold case team is committed to exhausting every lead.”

“A person of interest was identified early in the investigation and that remains unchanged.”

Homicide detectives searched the same area on Bowen in November 2024 after a film crew’s cadaver dogs hit on something, but no details were revealed.

The latest police search is sparking a tiny bit of hope for Henrickson’s devastated family.

“If anyone knows anything at all, put an end to this; please let us know what happened to Jodi,” Rob said.

-with files from Rumina Daya