Shyanne Oakley of Quesnel will never let go of the hope someday she and her family will have closure. Her aunt vanished more than 15 years ago.
Photos of Julie Oakley Parker continue to be shared on the Facebook page Justice for Julie. Shyanne created the page with several other family members.
Shyanne was just around six-years-old when she last saw Julie, who she described as the best aunt ever and one of the funniest, most upbeat people around.
“It was about a year and a half ago I started this page just because I felt like the alert about her was kind of dying off,” she said.
“After so, so long my family is fighting to keep her face out there and it just seemed like there needed to be more done.”
Missing person signs still remain up, but Shyanne said she believes more people will likely see her aunt’s image on Facebook, which could help solve her disappearance.
Julie, 33, vanished on Aug. 2, 2006, after stepping outside for a cigarette while staying with friends in Quesnel.
According to previous Quesnel Cariboo Observer articles, the mother of two and her husband, Brad, had moved to Nazko but were in town while their daughter, Kassidi, attended a 4-H Achievement Day at Alex Fraser Park.
Before her disappearance, they had been arguing.
Julie’s family is adamant she would never have left, missing Kassidi’s 12th birthday.
“Her disappearance is very suspicious because she wouldn’t have ran off,” Shyanne said.
“She loved her kids so, so much.”
While an Observer article in 2010 wrote that RCMP had collected more than 300 tips, several main witnesses were refusing to cooperate.
Julie’s disappearance has been especially difficult for her brother, who Shyanne said loved her dearly.
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Shyanne said it feels more hurtful and saddening as days have turned to weeks, weeks have turned to months, and months into years since Julie was last seen.
Julie’s mother passed away in 2016 without any answers.
“Quesnel is just a small town, so there’s always rumours, but rumours are rumours and facts are facts, and you need facts to get a conviction and you need facts to get closure,” Shyanne said.
Every Christmas, Shyanne’s aunt, Jodie, has made a sign in big, red writing “All I want for Christmas is Julie.”
Shyanne believes Julie would be spending lots of time with them, including her grandchildren, if she were with them today, alive and well.
“She’d be laughing and making jokes, as usual, I’m sure.”
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