Beachside vigil planned in Oak Bay to honour slain sisters
Deborah Wilson | CBC News | Posted: December 28, 2017 4:56 PM | Last Updated: December 29, 2017
Bodies found apartment in Victoria suburb
The B.C. community of Oak Bay in suburban Victoria will honour two young homicide victims this weekend with a candlelight vigil at the beach where they loved to play.
The bodies of Chloe Berry, 6, and her sister Aubrey Berry, 4, were found Christmas Day in a ground-floor apartment.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is investigating the deaths as a double homicide. An adult male was taken to hospital and he is being treated for injuries, according to police.
'Our heart breaks for you'
"Our heart breaks for you and we, as a community, are here for you," Oak Bay Mayor Nils Jensen said in a statement that offered the municipality's condolences and announced a vigil at Willows Beach, a waterfront area of Oak Bay, on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.
He encouraged participants to bring a candle and "a silent prayer of love."
"There are no words to express the sadness we feel for the loss of these two young girls and how to truly comfort the profound grief of their family," said Jensen.
The mayor's statement recognized the flood of condolences and support in the community and on social media that followed news of the girls' deaths.
Support for police, families
While flowers and messages collected outside the apartment where the bodies were found, residents on Facebook discussed ways to recognize the work of police and first responders who discovered the girls' bodies, and offered counselling support to families affected by the deaths.
At Oak Bay United Church, which opened its doors for the day for prayer and solace, about a dozen people had stopped in by late morning, most to light a candle and pray, or sit in silence. Some left in tears.
"I'm kind of emotional myself when I think about it too much," said Rev. Beth Walker, who had come from her own Fairfield neighbourhood church in Victoria to help.
She described the mood inside the church as calm stillness associated with shock.
Her message to people who are struggling over what happened is that they are not alone.
"The church is there for us," she said. "I think as a community we can make things better."
"We're trying to create sacred space so that each individual can grieve in their own way."
'Blessings and prayers' for mother
One of those was Chris Shaw, who said he was sending "a lot of blessings and prayers" to the children's mother, Sarah Cotton. "I hope she has a lot of support and love around her at this time."
Sandra Hudson, a close friend of Cotton's, said in an interview with On the Coast's Jason D'Souza that the community's support has been "overwhelming, actually, but it's been very appreciated."
Investigators have released few details about the case, but said they are not looking for suspects.
The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, which is assisting Oak Bay police, said in a release they cannot release the names of anyone involved unless charges have been laid or public assistance is required.
Meanwhile, Oak Bay police Chief Ray Bernoties reassured residents who expressed concerns about the first responders and investigators who confronted the disturbing scene.
"I can assure you that we have engaged experts in the field of critical incident stress management and we're following every step of their counsel and our Critical Incident Stress Model to ensure our officers are very well cared for," said Bernoties.