Family vows ‘case isn’t closed’ as questions about death remain
Supporters invited to pay respects to Blagdon during June visitation
Katrina Blagdon’s family is thanking their supporters and vowing not to rest until they uncover the events that led to her death.
Blagdon, a 37-year-old mother of two and a retired military veteran, was last seen on New Year’s Eve at 6 p.m. at a takeout restaurant on Fourth Avenue.
Her body was discovered on May 4 after St. Catharines Hydro employees called police about a deceased person in the water near the Heywood Generating Station in Port Dalhousie.
Her family and supporters mounted an exhaustive search after her disappearance that took them as far as Pickering and covered Niagara from Grimsby to Fort Erie in the months that followed.
A visitation and viewing is planned for June 10 at George Darte Funeral Home of St. Catharines. A funeral service is set for June 11.
“We are finally able to give out beautiful girl the dignity and rest she has been denied,” a post to a Facebook page signed by family members said. “We are extending an invitation to those you that have supported us, from both near and far, to pay your respects.”
The Facebook page, “TR!NAs ARMY,” posted information daily during the search and has more than 11,000 members.
A GoFundMe page was established to help Blagdon’s family travel from Nova Scotia and Pembroke, Ont., to Niagara and help pay for search materials. The effort raised more than $13,000 from almost 200 donations.
“As you can imagine, this is a bittersweet moment for us,” said the post used with permission of the family and signed by Katrina Blagdon’s family: Bonnie Leights, Kelly Blagdon, Shelly Blagdon, Stephen Paquin, Shawn Muma and Katy Muma.
“We are finally able to rest after four months of searching, postering, being followed/harassed, moving from Airbnb to Airbnb, travelling from home to St. Catharines and simply trying to maintain our own obligations and responsibility.
“As we take that break we so desperately need so that we may grieve, please know that we appreciate each and every one of you.”
To help with the search, the family hired a private investigator and made a video appeal in conjunction with the Niagara Regional Police for information.
Six days after her body was found, police released the results from a forensic pathologist who positively identified her. Foul play was not suspected.
In the Facebook post, the family insisted they aren’t finished.
“This case is not closed,” it said. “We will not rest until we have exhausted every legal avenue available to us.
“The injustices against her person, legacy, reputation and estate will be put to rights. This is the way we honour her.”