Loved and never forgotten. Those are the words carved in stone for an Indigenous woman whose death west of Williams Lake remains unsolved.
A headstone was installed at the cemetery at Tl’esqox (Toosey) First Nation last month just over a year following the murder of Sabrina Rosette.
Waiting for someone to be charged, her father, Alfred Jack, maintains someone in the small rural community has to know something about what happened the night of June 8, 2019 that led to the untimely death of his daughter.
“She was always with us,” Jack said. “Her boys, they miss her.”
Rosette was 33-years old at the time of murder.
She left behind two sons who celebrated their birthdays last month, turning 5 and 15, without her.
Read More: No answers, no charges one year after death of Toosey’s Sabrina Rosette
RCMP said they continue to seek the public’s help to resolve this ‘unthinkable tragedy.’
Officers responded to the community to assist B.C. Emergency Health Services for a report of a severely injured woman at a residence just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 8.
She could not be revived and died at the scene.
Police said at the time two possible crime scenes were being examined - one at the reserve and another known as “Lover’s Leap.”
Away on a fishing trip, Jack, a self-taught mechanic, only learned of his daughter’s death after he returned to the community late the following day.
“I know something will come out of it soon. I just know,” he said, noting he has continued to put on a brave face each day for the sake of his two grandsons.
“It’s been hard on us.”
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Although a local man was arrested at the scene, he was later released without charge.
Jack said Sabrina’s murder has torn the community apart.
The family had to remove Sabrina’s oldest son from his school after being subjected to repeated verbal abuse and taunts from other community members.
“We weren’t raised like that; taking it out on kids. They’re just innocent,” Jack said.
“We’ve pretty much just isolated ourselves from other people which is sad because we’re well known in our community because of all the stuff that we do,” he added. “We’re always busy.”
Since 1998, Jack said their family over the summer months would help the nation with firefighting or flood patrol in which more than half of the 20 crew members were from his family, including Sabrina who helped out since the age of 16.
He has three ex-wives and admitted, however, his family has not been immune from the impacts of alcohol that has destroyed many lives, and said Sabrina also struggled with drug abuse.
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“All we want is justice,” he said. “We want somebody to step up. It’s got to be bothering them by now.”
With five sisters and three brothers, Sabrina also leaves behind a countless number of family members.
“She was always there for the little ones,” Jack recalled. “Anytime there was a new baby born in the family she always made it some how to go and see them. She really loved kids.”
Jack said he finds any suggestion that Sabrina’s death could have been an accident hard to believe.
“People that know anything they should do the right thing and come forward.”
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