Latest news with #ChelseaPoorman
Global News
06-05-2025
- Global News
Families of Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman, Noelle O'Soup call for inquest into deaths
The families of two Indigenous women and an Indigenous teen girl who were found dead in Metro Vancouver are calling for a coroner's inquest into their deaths. The families of Tatyanna Harrison, 20, Chelsea Poorman, 24, and Noelle O'Soup, 13, and the group Justice for Girls chose Red Dress Day, which honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, to press the issue. 2:18 Vigil held for Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman and Noelle O'Soup Harrison was found dead aboard an abandoned yacht in Richmond in August 2022. Poorman was found in a vacant mansion on Vancouver's west side in May of the same year. O'Soup was found in a Downtown Eastside apartment, also in May 2022, after being overlooked by investigators who had visited the unit several times. Story continues below advertisement The families of each have long argued that their cases were mishandled and deprioritized by police. 'From the beginning of the investigations, the families were left to search for the missing girls on their own, to investigate their cases, to bring leads to investigators and hope they would be followed,' Justice for Girls staff lawyer Sue Brown said. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Their families' search for answers did not end when their deaths were deemed not criminal or not suspicious.' In 2022, the B.C. Coroners Service said Harrison died of sepsis. Harrison's family subsequently retained a licensed forensic pathologist to conduct an independent review of her file, which disagreed with that conclusion. Her family said it also had to advocate for a rape kit to be performed on Harrison, samples which still have not been processed. 'There have been no answers for three years. If you were to help somebody hide a crime that would be a crime itself, so I don't know what happens when our justice system does it,' her mother Natasha Harrison said. 2:11 Vancouver officers investigated for neglect of duty in Chelsea Poorman case 'Everything they did in Tatyana's case is exactly what you would have needed to do to fail her.' Story continues below advertisement Poorman and O'Soup's causes of death have not been determined. Poorman's mother, Sheila Poorman, said she's still been unable to get answers to many questions about Chelsea's case, including how or why she made it to the abandoned home. 'Chelsea was a person who wouldn't hurt anyone,' she said. 'She'd rather give whatever she had to help somebody, she would go out of her way to help a person in need, even though she didn't have the resources herself.' O'Soup's aunt Josie August said the young teen was 'failed at every level by this country, by this government, by child welfare, by the Vancouver police by the RCMP' after running away from her group home. 1:06 Families call out Vancouver police for Indigenous investigations 'We've found more out from the media than from Vancouver police, from the (Ministry of Children and Family Development), and this has caused great harm to the family, where we no longer can watch the news,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'Her family in Saskatchewan found out she was discovered through social media, through the news.' Brown said the way the three cases were handled exactly mirrors the systemic failures to protect Indigenous women and girls highlighted by Canada's national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls — an exercise that produced many recommendations and little real action. Holding an inquest, she said, is an opportunity for the province to right an 'egregious historical wrong.' 'It's an opportunity for the coroner's office to regain public trust and bring much-needed answers as to what happened to Tatyanna, Noelle and Chelsea,' she said. Global News is seeking comment from Public Safety Minister Gary Begg.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Advocates, families call for coroner's inquest into deaths of Indigenous women, girl
WARNING: This story includes allegations of violence against Indigenous women and girls and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone who has. The families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered across Metro Vancouver in disturbing circumstances are calling for B.C.'s minister of public safety and solicitor general to direct a coroner's inquest into their deaths. Groups including Justice for Girls and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs delivered the call to Garry Begg Monday morning, announcing that an independent forensic pathologist review is disputing the B.C. Coroners Service's findings related to Tatyanna Harrison's cause of death. The deaths of Harrison, Noelle O'Soup and Chelsea Poorman rattled Metro Vancouver in the spring of 2022. In all three cases, family members raised concerns about the quality of the police investigations, sounding the alarm about lengthy delays in initiating searches and, in two of the three cases, quick determinations that the deaths were non-criminal in nature. A recent CBC News investigation revealed the Vancouver Police Department responses to the three deaths are now being investigated by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the civilian, independent office that oversees complaints into police forces in B.C. The minister of public safety and the B.C. Coroners Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cause of death disputed Harrison's body was found on a dry dock in Richmond on May 2, 2022, though she wasn't identified until August. Police quickly deemed Harrison's death non-suspicious, telling her mother Natasha Harrison that the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. But the coroner's report later concluded the 20-year-old died of sepsis, a blood infection that can be fatal if left untreated. At a Monday press conference, lawyer Sue Brown with Justice for Girls said an independent forensic analysis and review found Harrison's cause of death should be ruled "undetermined." The review, which relied on information provided by the B.C. Coroners Service, states "there appears to be no compelling evidence to suggest that the cause of death would have been sepsis, as has been proposed by the B.C. Coroners Service autopsy pathologist and the reporting coroner." Natasha Harrison raised other concerns about the investigation, questioning why a rape kit exam wasn't performed on her daughter despite her being naked from the waist down when she was found. She also said there was a 20-day delay in starting the search, as the file was passed between jurisdictions. Chelsea Poorman Twenty-four-year-old Chelsea Poorman first disappeared in September 2020. Her body was found 18 months later in the yard of a mansion in Vancouver's Shaughnessy nieghbourhood. Her death was quickly deemed to be not criminal in nature. Her mother, Sheila Poorman, said it took over a week for police to issue a missing person report. She told the media that her daughter's body was missing fingers and a section of her cranium when her remains were found. The New Westminster Police Department is investigating the conduct of several Vancouver police officers in relation to Poorman's disappearance. Vancouver police said in a statement that there is no evidence Chelsea's death was the result of a crime, though they continue to investigate how she travelled to the location where she died, given that she had difficulty walking. Noelle O'Soup Of the three cases, Noelle O'Soup's is the only one that remains an ongoing criminal investigation. O'Soup was in the custody of B.C.'s Ministry of Child and Family Development in 2021. She fled a Port Coquitlam group home in May 2021 when she was 13. Her body was found in May 2022 in a one-room apartment on Heatley Avenue alongside the body of a woman. The apartment also contained the body of its tenant, a 46-year-old man named Van Chung Pham. When police initially searched the room, they found only Pham's body. The two other bodies in the small room would only be found months later, leaving the families confounded. A police officer is being investigated for alleged neglect of duty under the Police Act in connection with the discovery of the bodies. A CBC News investigation revealed more disturbing details in the case. Canadian immigration officials had deemed Pham a danger to vulnerable women in Vancouver and had sought to have him deported back to his home country of Vietnam. When the attempt at deportation stalled, they released him back into the community. Pham was also linked to the deaths of and assaults on other women. Another unknown woman had died of an overdose while in his hotel room at the Canada Hotel. Yet another woman had reported to police that he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Heatley Block apartment. Crisis support is available for anyone affected by these reports and the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people through a national 24-hour hotline at 1-844-413-6649. Health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based support and cultural services, and some travel costs to see elders and traditional healers are available through the government of Canada. Family members seeking information about a missing or murdered loved one can access Family Information Liaison Units.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
Advocates, families call for coroner's inquest into deaths of Indigenous women, girl
WARNING: This story includes allegations of violence against Indigenous women and girls and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone who has. The families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered across Metro Vancouver in disturbing circumstances are calling for B.C.'s minister of public safety and solicitor general to direct a coroner's inquest into their deaths. Groups including Justice for Girls and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs delivered the call to Garry Begg Monday morning, announcing that an independent forensic pathologist review is disputing the B.C. Coroners Service's findings related to Tatyanna Harrison's cause of death. The deaths of Harrison, Noelle O'Soup and Chelsea Poorman rattled Metro Vancouver in the spring of 2022. In all three cases, family members raised concerns about the quality of the police investigations, sounding the alarm about lengthy delays in initiating searches and, in two of the three cases, quick determinations that the deaths were non-criminal in nature. A recent CBC News investigation revealed the Vancouver Police Department responses to the three deaths are now being investigated by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, the civilian, independent office that oversees complaints into police forces in B.C. The minister of public safety and the B.C. Coroners Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cause of death disputed Harrison's body was found on a dry dock in Richmond on May 2, 2022, though she wasn't identified until August. Police quickly deemed Harrison's death non-suspicious, telling her mother Natasha Harrison that the cause of death was fentanyl toxicity. But the coroner's report later concluded the 20-year-old died of sepsis, a blood infection that can be fatal if left untreated. At a Monday press conference, lawyer Sue Brown with Justice for Girls said an independent forensic analysis and review found Harrison's cause of death should be ruled "undetermined." The review, which relied on information provided by the B.C. Coroners Service, states "there appears to be no compelling evidence to suggest that the cause of death would have been sepsis, as has been proposed by the B.C. Coroners Service autopsy pathologist and the reporting coroner." Natasha Harrison raised other concerns about the investigation, questioning why a rape kit exam wasn't performed on her daughter despite her being naked from the waist down when she was found. She also said there was a 20-day delay in starting the search, as the file was passed between jurisdictions. Chelsea Poorman Twenty-four-year-old Chelsea Poorman first disappeared in September 2020. Her body was found 18 months later in the yard of a mansion in Vancouver's Shaughnessy nieghbourhood. Her death was quickly deemed to be not criminal in nature. Her mother, Sheila Poorman, said it took over a week for police to issue a missing person report. She told the media that her daughter's body was missing fingers and a section of her cranium when her remains were found. The New Westminster Police Department is investigating the conduct of several Vancouver police officers in relation to Poorman's disappearance. Vancouver police said in a statement that there is no evidence Chelsea's death was the result of a crime, though they continue to investigate how she travelled to the location where she died, given that she had difficulty walking. Noelle O'Soup Of the three cases, Noelle O'Soup's is the only one that remains an ongoing criminal investigation. O'Soup was in the custody of B.C.'s Ministry of Child and Family Development in 2021. She fled a Port Coquitlam group home in May 2021 when she was 13. Her body was found in May 2022 in a one-room apartment on Heatley Avenue alongside the body of a woman. The apartment also contained the body of its tenant, a 46-year-old man named Van Chung Pham. When police initially searched the room, they found only Pham's body. The two other bodies in the small room would only be found months later, leaving the families confounded. A police officer is being investigated for alleged neglect of duty under the Police Act in connection with the discovery of the bodies. A CBC News investigation revealed more disturbing details in the case. Canadian immigration officials had deemed Pham a danger to vulnerable women in Vancouver and had sought to have him deported back to his home country of Vietnam. When the attempt at deportation stalled, they released him back into the community. Pham was also linked to the deaths of and assaults on other women. Another unknown woman had died of an overdose while in his hotel room at the Canada Hotel. Yet another woman had reported to police that he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Heatley Block apartment.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
Advocates, families of Poorman, Harrison and O'Soup call for coroner's inquest
Advocates and the families of 2 Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl who died in the summer of 2022 are demanding action on the cases are calling for a Coroner's Inquest into the deaths. Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman and Noelle O'Soup died just weeks apart 3 years ago. The group say they're bringing this forward after an independent forensic pathologist review disputes the cause of Harrison's death.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
WATCH LIVE: UBCIC, victims' families make announcement on deaths of young Indigenous women, girl
On Red Dress Day, the families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered in Metro Vancouver in 2022, alongside Justice For Girls and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs will make announcements regarding the deaths of 20-year-old Tatyanna Harrison, 24-year-old Chelsea Poorman and 13-year-old Noelle O'Soup.
