A silent vigil was held in downtown Vancouver on December 27 to honor 14 women who were killed in 2023, among them an unnamed Surrey woman. The participants called on police to share her name as well an update on the investigation into her death.
Police responded that because the suspect died shortly after the homicide, the investigation is closed.
Vancouver Rape Relief organized the vigil and participants held up signs with women’s names, ages, and the date they were killed. Three signs read ‘woman’ instead of the victim’s name, with one dedicated to a woman who was found dead on Feb. 5 inside an apartment in the 14900-block of 102A Avenue in Guildford. A man, also not identified by police, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to a Surrey RCMP press release that was issued at the time, firefighters were responding to a fire alarm and sprinkler activation at the building when they located the two inside an apartment.
“The building was evacuated and it has been confirmed that there was no fire,” Surrey RCMP Cpl. Vanessa Munn reported at the time. “Due to the sprinkler activation, all residents of the building have been displaced for an undetermined amount of time. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has been called and will be working in partnership with Surrey RCMP. Police are currently in the evidence gathering stage; however do not believe that there is any ongoing risk to public safety.”
Hilla Kerner, a representative of Vancouver Rape Relief and Woman’s shelter, stated in a press release issued Dec. 27 that vigil participants want police to release information related to the Surrey woman’s death.
“The first demand that we have is for the police, or BC Coroners Service, to publish women’s names,” she said. “We want to know who they were because we want to honour and mourn them. Not only that, we want to know the result of the police investigation. Were charges laid? Against whom?”
“Femicide is deadly male violence against women,” Kerner added. “It is a serious issue and we need the police to stop withholding the most basic details of cases that must be exposed and highlighted.”
The Now-Leader reached out to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team for answers. “No updates on this investigation as of today. I’ll keep you posted if anything comes up,” Sgt. Tim Pierotti, a spokesman for IHIT, replied on Dec. 29. The newspaper also reached out to the Surrey RCMP.
“I have been able to confirm that IHIT is the lead on this investigation,” Sgt. Tammy Lobb replied on Dec. 28. “I have asked IHIT to contact you and respond to your inquiry.”
In a subsequent letter to the editor, on Jan. 4, Pierotti confirmed that the investigation is concluded “as a result of the death of the suspect.”
“The family of the victim was made aware of the status of the investigation and out of respect for their privacy and privacy laws, no further public announcements were provided. As this investigation is concluded, there is no investigational necessity to release the name of the victim at this time,” Pierotti wrote.
“Though the suspect died shortly after the homicide, a thorough investigation was completed in partnership with the BC Coroners Service and the Surrey RCMP. As a result of the death of the suspect, IHIT can confirm that no charges were recommended,” he added. “IHIT, as with all police agencies in Canada, is bound by provincial and federal privacy law, which protects the privacy of victims, including that of homicide. This legislation does not give us the legal authority to release the name of victims, unless it is necessary to further an investigation, a measure which must be provable in court.”
Pierotti also wrote, in his letter to the editor, “I would like to reassure your readers that IHIT treats cases of alleged domestic violence seriously and are aware of their impact on families and communities. We experience this kind of tragedy firsthand.”
Kerner said Jan. 4 that she respects the family’s request for privacy. Revealed for the first time in Pierotti’s letter, she said, was that police knew who the suspect was “and they did not publish it.”
“They did not publish what was the relationship between the suspect and the victim. So it’s one thing to protect women’s identity as a matter of respecting her family’s wishes and it’s such a terrible tragedy that I definitely would not want to add to their suffering but the police still does have a responsibility and obviously it was not that hard to say more about the case itself,” she told the Now-Leader.
“Still I think the public should know what happened and most importantly, what was the relationship between the person who was suspected of committing the killing to the woman, the victim,” she said.