Former McPherson resident found dead in Whitehorse
Police arrest youth in connection with 17-year-old's death
Miranda Scotland
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 15, 2014
WHITEHORSE
A 17-year-old Gwich'in girl was found dead on a walking trail in Whitehorse's McIntyre subdivision Dec. 8.
Brandy Vittrekwa, 17, was found dead Dec. 8 on a walking trail in a
Whitehorse subdivision. - photo courtesy of Facebook |
RCMP are treating Brandy Vittrekwa's death as a homicide. Police arrested a suspect Dec. 11 but no charges had been laid as of press time.
"The suspect's connection to the incident continues to be clarified by investigators," an RCMP news release states.
Vittrekwa was living in Whitehorse with her parents but many of her relatives reside in her hometown of Fort McPherson.
Dorris Bill, chief of Kwanlin Dun First Nations, an aboriginal group in the Whitehorse area, expressed her condolences to the community.
"Our community stands with the people of Fort McPherson … I just wanted them to know our people are thinking about them and they're in our prayers as we both go through this difficult time," Bill said during a press conference on Dec. 13 at the Kwanlin Dun First Nations headquarters, which is just down the street from where Vittrekwa was found.
"I'm relieved there's been an arrest in connection with this horrific murder. However, it's not lost on me that (the suspect) is a young person. We have two lives that have been destroyed by this, two young lives, and that breaks my heart."
Family and friends held a candlelight vigil to honour Vittrekwa Dec. 10 in Whitehorse.
The following day, some of the candles continued to burn as a light layer of snow blanketed the flowers, poster boards and photos of Vittrekwa people had laid out near where her body was found.
Kwanlin Dun First Nations has raised more than $11,000 – including a $10,000 donation from Sidu Trucking – to help the family cover the cost of the funeral, which is to be held Dec. 18 in Fort McPherson. A specific time for the ceremony had not been set by press time.
Bill dropped off a cheque to the family Dec. 11.
"They're holding up as well as they can considering what they've been through. One thing Brandy's father said to me was when we had the meeting over at the (Nakwataku) Potlatch House, when they walked in, the entire room stood and he said to me that really gave him strength. He was really touched," said Bill, referencing a community gathering held after the death to talk about safety and to support those who might be grieving.
"Many of our youth were very close to Brandy … It just broke out heart to hear some of them talk about their feelings over the issue."
Bill said her community has struggled for many years with other First Nations people who have been banished from their hometowns, as well as people recently released from jail coming onto their traditional land and carrying out illegal activity.
For instance, the suspect in police custody is not a citizen of Kwanlin Dun First Nation, she said.
The problems are mostly caused by citizens from other Yukon communities, Bill added, but there are some troublemakers who come over from the NWT.
"We have been left holding the ball on all of this and this is the result … We spend a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of resources dealing with citizens of other First Nations."
A request for comment from the Tetlit Gwich'in Council in Fort McPherson was declined.
