PRINCE RUPERT WATERFRONT’S GRIM MYSTERY
First Nations groups alarmed by series of deaths
B.C. First Nations groups want light shone on a string of mysterious deaths along Prince Rupert’s waterfront.
“There’s a pattern, a disturbing pattern with respect to the death of young aboriginal people,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
“The fundamental complaint is there is no appetite or willingness on the part of RCMP to engage the families in a meaningful way and conduct what one would consider to be a proper investigation,” said Phillip. “It’s not something that’s isolated.”
Phillip, along with representatives from the Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Society and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, visited Prince Rupert in May to talk to the family of Justin Brooks.
Brooks, 21, was found dead in the water off the Rotary Waterfront Park in the Prince Rupert Harbour on March 4.
Brooks’ mother, Cheryl Ryan, told The Province her son had been involved in a confrontation with two people in the park the night before his body was found.
Ryan said the RCMP concluded that Brooks either drowned accidentally or committed suicide.
However, Ryan is not happy with the RCMP investigation. She said her son could not swim and stayed away from water and that he was in a relationship, had a son and full-time job.
“I have a problem because they (police) know my son was beaten,” said Ryan. “They know the people that did it. No one went to jail, even for assault.”
Prince Rupert RCMP are not commenting on Ryan’s comments.
“I can’t really speak to that specifically,” said Const. Matthew Ericson.
“I can tell you the belief is that this has been an accident and a tragic one at that,” Ericson said. “There was no information or evidence we’ve been able to collect to support this being foul play or suspicious in nature.”
Ryan is offering a $6,000 reward for any information related to her son’s death.
Phillip said Brooks’ death is only one of those his organization wants further investigated.
Emmalee McLean, 16, was found partly submerged near a Prince Rupert marina in April 2010. Her drowning death was suspicious but there were never any charges.
Another death was that of 13-yearold Kayla Rose McKay, who was found on the waterfront in 2004 and whose demise was consistent with acute alcohol poisoning.
Christine Martin, executive director of the Transformative Justice Services Society, said her group intends to file a Freedom of Information request for details of all drownings and accidental deaths around Prince Rupert’s waterfront going back 10 years.
Martin, who spent the first half of her life in the Prince Rupert area and is related to Justin’s stepfather Peter Wesley, is critical of the police investigation and thinks there’s more that can be learned.
But Ericson defended the investigation.
“These types of investigations are reviewed numerous times, not just by our office but by other divisions within our organization,” he said. “It’s to ensure every investigational step has been taken and no rock has been left unturned.”
According to Barb McLintock, of the B.C. Coroners Service, the Brooks file is still open and an investigation is not complete.
“It’s close to getting sorted out between us and the RCMP,” said McLintock. “Hopefully, it shouldn’t be too much longer.”
But the pain remains for Ryan, who remembers her son as “sensitive and giving, shy and lovable.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back.”
Her voice breaks when she speaks about her loss, and “all the things my son’s missing. He missed his first Father’s Day. He missed his baby’s first birthday.”