The search for a young indigenous woman ended in tragedy after her remains were found in an empty home in Vancouver’s Shonessy neighborhood.
For the grieving family of 24-year-old Chelsea Purman, the discovery did not bring a small conclusion – only new questions.
“We still don’t know what happened to her,” said Sheila Purman, the young woman’s mother. “I don’t know if we’ll ever find out.”
The contractors spotted the remains of Chelsea on April 22 while working on a property near Granville Street and West 37th Avenue, an expensive part of the city lined with houses for millions of dollars.
Her identity was later confirmed by DNA tests, and authorities notified her family Friday morning before making a public announcement.
“This is not the result someone wanted. We have always hoped that Chelsea would be found alive and our sympathies are with everyone who knows Chelsea, loves her and hoped she would return home healthy,” said Sergeant. Steve Addison of the Vancouver Police Department said in a statement.
He later told reporters that Chelsea’s skeleton had been found outside the home in a heavily forested area and that toxicology and other tests would not be possible on her remains, but Vancouver police would provide “personal data” to the family in the future. days.
The news came a day after National Day of Awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, also known as Red Dress Day, which hosted ceremonies across the country, including Vancouver.
Chelsea was a member of the Cavacatus First Nation in Saskatchewan, but was living in the West Bank when he disappeared.
Police did not consider her death suspicious, but did not provide further details other than reviewing the findings of the forensic doctor’s investigation.
Her mother, who spoke to the coroner on Friday, told CTV News that she did not understand how the police came to this conclusion.
“I don’t know why they would say that,” Sheila said. “They don’t even have a cause of death. They don’t know what happened. Some just don’t – they don’t just die for no reason.”
In a press release, Vancouver police said they believed “Chelsea” probably died on the property the night she disappeared or shortly afterwards, but remained undiscovered because the house has been empty for years.
When asked by reporters, police admitted that squatters were often on the property, but said they would not speculate on how she died.
Her mother believes that someone must have been there when it happened, in part because her daughter was found covered in a blanket.
“There must have been people in that place,” she said. “Squatters, someone will know something.”
Chelsea disappeared after leaving a friend’s apartment in downtown Vancouver on the night of September 6, 2020.
Late that evening, she talks to her sister on the phone and suggests that she has a new love interest.
Her family never heard from her again.
Earlier, they expressed disappointment with the work of the police department in her case. Although it was announced that Chelsea disappeared on September 8, the authorities announced her disappearance only on September 18.
“It was nothing but a big failure from the start – nothing was done for the first 10 days,” said her father, Michael Kiernan, who believes Chelsea’s ancestral heritage has played a role.
“This (problem) will not go away, it will only grow and I will see it to the end.”
CTV News asked Vancouver police about these concerns, and they insisted they had allocated significant resources to the case.
“We worked as hard as we could,” Addison said. “Missing persons, the Major Crimes Unit is constantly reviewing advice, reviewing old leads, questioning witnesses, looking for clues until the day she was found, trying to find her and bring her home.”
Sheila said her daughter deserved a better life. She remembered Chelsea as a kind and caring person who cared for others.
“When we lived in Saskatoon, she would like to take a walk so we could make sure the people on the street were well. She wanted to make sure the people on the street were warm and had a place to go. That was Chelsea, “she said, crying.
So if anyone knows anything about what happened to Chelsea, I’d like to talk and let us know. “
Late Friday afternoon, dancers from Butterflies in Spirit laid flowers and incense in front of the home where Chelsea’s remains, unknown to her family and relatives, were hidden. They are planning a memorial gathering there for Sunday.
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