Derek Saretzky charged with Hanne Meketech's death has longtime friend shocked
'I want to know why ... so Hanne can rest in peace,' says friend
A longtime friend of Hanne Meketech was stunned to hear that Derek Saretzky — already charged in the slayings of a toddler and her father in Crowsnest Pass — has now been charged with the death of the 69-year-old woman she'd known for three decades.
Saretzky, 23, was charged with first-degree murder last fall in the deaths of Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette and her father, Terry Blanchette.
There is an additional charge of committing an indignity to a body in the girl's case.
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Meketech was found dead in her home in Coleman on Sept. 9, 2015, less than a week before the father and daughter were found dead in Blairmore, but no charges had been laid. RCMP on Wednesday announced Saretzky was charged with killing Meketech.
Terri Putnam knew Meketech for 30 years, first as a colleague, babysitter to her children and later as her caregiver and friend, she told the Calgary Eyeopener on Thursday.
"When I first found out this morning, I was confused, I was shocked … I didn't know whether to cry — I did cry," Putnam said.
She's trying to understand the latest turn of events.
"I basically just started calling family members … I wanted to know why ... that's my main concern right now … so Hanne can rest in peace."
RCMP would only say at a news conference that Saretzky had become a suspect while in custody for the other two murders. But there were no details on how he became a suspect.
Saretzky and Meketech knew each other through his grandmother, who lived just a few houses away, Putnam said.
They would have gone to the same family functions, she added.
"There are a million things going through my head, but I don't want to speculate. I'm really mystified by it."