Windsor

Family, friends devastated over death of 36-year-old Windsor woman

The mother of a Windsor woman who has died said in a Facebook post that she is "shattered" by the news. 

'I have no words...,' woman's mom wrote in Facebook post

Two women are close together smiling.
Fartumo Kusow, right, and her daughter Sahra Bulle, left. (Fartumo Kusow via Instagram)

The mother of a Windsor woman who has died said in a Facebook post that she is "shattered" by the news. 

After Fartumo Kusow's daughter, Sahra Bulle, went missing on May 26, she taped up multiple missing person posters across the city and posted pleas on social media for people to help find her daughter. 

But less than two weeks after the 36-year-old's disappearance, Windsor police charged Bulle's estranged husband with her murder.

"I have no words to describe the depth of my sadness and height of my rage," Kusow's Facebook post reads. 

Kusow shared that Bulle was not only a "beautiful daughter," but she was also a granddaughter, friend, aunt and cousin. Signs posted across the city also said Bulle was a University of Windsor student. 

"Please continue to pray for my daughter's eternal peace and my family's patience as we get through this unimaginable loss...," reads Kusow's post. 

A Facebook post is shared that reads, "I am shattered by this terrible news. My silence does not mean I do not appreciate your kindness and the prayers you have been sending my family’s way. I have no words to describe the depth of my sadness and height of my rage. Please continue to pray for my daughter’s eternal peace and my family’s patience as we get through this unimaginable loss to beautiful daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousin, friend and an aunt lost too soon."
Kusow re-posted the police news release saying that a suspect has been charged with the first-degree murder of Sahra Bulle. In that post, she shared how she's been feeling. (Fartumo Kusow via Facebook)

Leslie McGraw is a friend of Kusow's — she says the two met through a writing group in Ann Arbor, Mich. 

McGraw says she often shares posts online of missing people and so she did the same when she saw Kusow's daughter was missing. Though she never met Bulle, she says she heard of her through Kusow. 

"[Kusow] has so much love and dedication to her family," she said. 

"[Bulle] is a beautiful girl ... and I was hoping for the best, but also preparing for whatever news might come." 

She says their writing group is all "broken-hearted" for Kusow. 

"It's such a blow, such a tragedy," she said. 

"The tentacles of this type of grief and tragedy they are long and they're wide. To think that she's in Windsor and we're over here hurting in Ann Arbor ... just gives you a sampling. But everybody that has been rooting and praying and thinking of her safe return is affected." 

A utility pole with a poster showing a photo of Sahra Bulle that says "Have you seen me" and lists a description of Sahra and a phone number to contact. The poster says she was last seen at 7:30 on May 26.
A missing persons poster for Sahra Bulle, 36, is shown at the corner of University Avenue and Church Street in Windsor, Ont., on June 6, 2023. (Jennifer La Grassa/CBC)

In an email to CBC News, the University of Windsor's associate vice-president of student experience, Shetina Jones, said "on behalf of the University of Windsor community, our thoughts and prayers are with Sahra's family and friends suffering this tragic loss." 

She said counselling supports are available for staff and students who might need to speak with someone. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer La Grassa

Videojournalist

Jennifer La Grassa is a videojournalist at CBC Windsor. She is particularly interested in reporting on healthcare stories. Have a news tip? Email jennifer.lagrassa@cbc.ca