Two years after her death, Jessica Patrick害羞草研究所檚 family is still looking for answers.
Patrick was last seen leaving Mountain View Motel in Smithers in the early morning hours of Aug. 31 2018.
Her body was not found until Sept. 15 2018 off Hudson Bay Mountain Road. To this day, the case remains unsolved, but RCMP say the investigation is active and ongoing.
However, Patrick害羞草研究所檚 cousin Jacquie Bowes doesn害羞草研究所檛 feel like police are doing enough.
害羞草研究所淚t feels like they are giving us the runaround,害羞草研究所� she says. 害羞草研究所淭he major crime unit would check in with us every six months, or three to four months, very sporadic. They basically just say they haven害羞草研究所檛 forgotten about you, Jessica is still first on our list, we want to make sure this case doesn害羞草研究所檛 become cold. Basically everything we want to hear. We are tired of hearing the runaround. They say Jessica is a priority but they feel overwhelmed with other cases.害羞草研究所�
She added she told the major crimes unit in the very beginning that she refuses to let her case go cold and that they are setting a precedent allowing murderers to get away with it.
Patrick害羞草研究所檚 sister Kirsten echoed those concerns.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e been trying to call them, I害羞草研究所檝e been asking the cops and no one is saying anything to me. I am getting very frustrated. I害羞草研究所檓 working on finding out who did it and why. I heard that she owed money, but that is about it.害羞草研究所�
Kirsten said she misses her sister害羞草研究所檚 laugh and amazing humour, but also simply just misses loving her.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 pretty heartbroken,害羞草研究所� she added. 害羞草研究所淚 raised her.害羞草研究所�
Kirsten害羞草研究所檚 husband Floyd Hyzins is also concerned the case will be closed before finding out what happened to his sister-in-law.
害羞草研究所淲hy aren害羞草研究所檛 they doing anything anymore? It is hard for all of us knowing if we will get justice or not,害羞草研究所� he said.
Bowes said the local detachment didn害羞草研究所檛 take the case seriously enough when Patrick was first reported missing.
According to Corporal Madonna Saunderson, Patrick was reported missing by her mother and sister on September 3, 2018 at 5:20 p.m. to Smithers detachment who initiated a missing persons investigation. On Sept. 6 the first media release was issued.
害羞草研究所淎s Jessica was not reported to the RCMP as missing until Sept. 3, there was no search or investigation conducted by the RCMP into her disappearance prior to the report date,害羞草研究所� she said.
On Sept. 15, 2018, her body was located by a family member near Hudson Bay Mountain Lookout.
害羞草研究所淒uring the period of Sept. 3 to 15, the RCMP conducted multiple searches some of which were done pursuant to warrants in an effort to not only locate Jessica, but identify anyone who may have been involved in her disappearance,害羞草研究所� Saunderson added.
Bowes said a family member should not have been the one who found her body and that she felt her family did more of the investigating than police did.
She is also frustrated that the federal government has spent a lot of time and money on the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, but isn害羞草研究所檛 putting much into action.
害羞草研究所淭hey need to create a trained team, so as soon as someone goes missing someone is assigned to be an investigator,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚t was quite traumatic what we went through in order to find Jessica. It was bad enough that we were worried, we didn害羞草研究所檛 know what we害羞草研究所檇 come across when we were searching. We didn害羞草研究所檛 know if we would find her alive or deceased. A family shouldn害羞草研究所檛 have to go through that.害羞草研究所�
Bowes is an aboriginal community legal worker and is advocating for better resources for Indigenous children.
害羞草研究所淚 work with children that are in children protection care. With Jessica, it became a passion of mine, especially knowing that Jessica was in care. She was only 18, she was still in MCFDC [The Ministry of Children and Family Development] care when she was deceased.害羞草研究所�
Bowes also said she will miss Patrick害羞草研究所檚 smile the most.
害羞草研究所淓ven though she was going through so much and just basically trying to survive and she hid [her struggles] all so well. She wanted to give her daughter everything she didn害羞草研究所檛 have.害羞草研究所�
While there may not have been much action on Patrick害羞草研究所檚 case, there is work being done in the community to help families of missing and murdered indigenous women heal. The Dze L K害羞草研究所檃nt Friendship Centre Society applied for a grant from the federal government害羞草研究所檚 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Commemoration Fund for a mural to be painted on the outside of their building on Main Street in Smithers.
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Further down the Highway of Tears, a name given to a stretch of Highway 16 where many Indigenous women have gone missing or been murdered, a totem pole honouring Canada害羞草研究所檚 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls was raised earlier this month.
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