Members of Vancouver’s Indigenous community are grieving the loss of Chelsea Poorman, a young woman who was missing for more than a year and a half before her remains were found.
“You know, there was always this hope that we would find her,” said Cuauhtli, while lighting candles and placing flowers at a small memorial setup outside the vacant home where Poorman’s skeletal remains were discovered late last month.
Cuauhtli is part Butterflies in Spirit, a dance group made up of family members of murdered and missing Indigenous women. Although no one in the group knew Chelsea personally, they are offering support to Poorman’s mother and planning a ceremony Sunday to honour Chelsea’s life.
“It’s so important to show up and support the family because a lot of these cases get thrown under the rug,” said Lorelei Williams, another member of the group.
The candlelight vigil is slated for Sunday at noon at 1536 West 36th Ave.
Poorman was reported missing nearly two years ago, after vanishing without a trace. A member of the Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, the 24-year-old had recently moved to Vancouver when she went missing in September of 2020.
