1 year after death of Charles Oudie, First Nations family still seeks answers
'It seems like no one really cares,' says Elisha Williams, Oudie’s sister.
More than a year after a 26-year-old First Nations man's body was found in a storm drain in East Vancouver, his family members are still seeking answers and say police are not returning their calls.
"It really seems like my brother's case was shoved under the rug," said Elisha Williams the sister of Charles Oudie.
"It seems like no one really cares."
The family is now fundraising to hire their own investigator to continue the case and believe foul play was involved.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions," said Williams. "I know my brother wouldn't go down a well on his own."
Vancouver police however suggest he did.
"The initial investigation indicated that no criminal offence took place, that Mr. Oudie entered the catch basin head-first, likely to retrieve a personal item, and was unable to get out, and that his death, while tragic, was believed accidental," said Constable Brian Montague in an email statement.
Montague says post-mortem tests by the B.C. Coroners' Service and medical examiner corroborate police evidence that Oudie's cause of death, "would be drowning and/or positional asphyxiation."
Revisiting witnesses
But Oudie's mother says her son was last seen with two East Vancouver men after a night of partying and that a series of Facebook messages gives her cause to believe there was conflict within the group.
"I think the ones he was with were picking on him that night. They were involved somehow," said Eugenia Oudie. "Everything about this case is not right."
Oudie says she's requested one of the men take a polygraph test to "prove if he's withholding information, if there's anything else he should be telling us or if he was involved in my son's death."
But so far she hasn't heard if her request has been granted.
Frustration with police
Investigators concluded the death was not suspicious two days after Oudie's body was discovered on Sept. 6, 2015. The family quickly launched a police complaint with the City of Vancouver and the case was kept open.
However, Oudie says no additional progress was made and when she tried contacting police during that time, she would wait "weeks and months" before receiving a response.
"I tried to be patient with the police. It's been really hard for me. We've been going through all those emotions of anger, sadness and loneliness.
"I went through a healing and grief program. I saw a psychologist for 10 visits. I've been trying to clear my mind so I can work on this because we're not letting this go. We want some answers," she said.
Remembering Charles
The family held a one-year memorial for Charles in North Vancouver's Tsleil-waututh First Nation over the weekend of Sept. 3, 2016 where ceremonial gifts were given out to those who have supported the family.
"We wanted to give back to the community and to the people who helped us at the funeral. That's what his memorial was all about for us," said Oudie.
A plate of food was also placed at Charles's gravesite.
"In our tradition you're supposed to feed the spirits watching over you," explained Williams. "We'll be doing a memorial every year for four years."
Williams says her little brother was a good student at the Native Education College, a great hockey player for the New Westminster Royals and supportive of everyone around him.
"My brother taught me so much. I feel like he was ahead of his time. Some of the things that he taught me that I have now, that I walk with, changed my perspective.
"He was someone who was going to make it and do something with his life. My brother wasn't just another dead Indian."
Charles Oudie's hockey jersey will be displayed at the Queens Arena in New Westminster for the next year.
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