A grieving mother says finding her daughter’s memorial destroyed has re-traumatized her and her family. About two weeks ago, Christine Angelis went to visit her daughter Keisha Garie’s memorial in North Burnaby, outside of Alpha Secondary School. Angelis said the entire tribute to her late daughter had been removed. Whoever did it, she said, discarded sentimental items such as notes, flowers and even her daughter’s photo in the school’s garbage bin. “To have somebody come and destroy a memorial like this adds so much more trauma,” she said. “It was very, very hard. I had a breakdown.” Garie was found dead in a car with her fiancé, Umair Kasim, in Burnaby in October 2022. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team is in charge of the investigation, but no charges have been laid. Angelis said the memorial has been in place for three years, and that she tends to it weekly because she wanted a place for family and friends to come and remember her daughter. “This is exactly the spot that she was found,” she said. “So, it was very important to me to do something to honour her in this space.” Danika Hetman, Keisha’s best friend, said she was heartbroken when she found out. Hetman said her father passed away last year, and had given her a plant, which she placed at the shrine. “It was really hard,” she said. ”They just ripped it out of the ground.” A few days before the memorial was damaged, Angelis said a note had been taped to her daughter’s photo. Part of it reads: “Kindly pack this stuff up or we will request it be removed. It’s time! And this is not healthy for you.” One neighbour who didn’t want to be identified told CTV News he thinks the memorial is part of the community now. He said none of the neighbours he’s talked to have an issue with it. “I can’t believe someone would just go and desecrate it,” he said. Angelis said she reported it to the city and to the Burnaby RCMP The City of Burnaby said it did not remove the memorial. “While the city does allow memorials on public property, we have a policy framework to review memorials when they are the subject of complaints or they otherwise come to the attention of city staff,” the city said, in a statement. Cpl. Mike Kalanj of the Burnaby RCMP said officers responded to a report of mischief to a roadside memorialon Aug. 20. Kalanj said, after speaking to residents in the area and canvassing for CCTV, police do not currently have a suspect description. “This is heartbreaking for the family, but unfortunately, we have exhausted all investigative avenues to this point,” he said. “We’re asking anyone that may have witnessed the incident or have any information that could assist in our investigation to please contact the Burnaby RCMP.” In a statement to CTV News, Sgt. Freda Fong, a media relations officer with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said IHIT remains committed to exhausting any leads available to holding those responsible for the murders of Garie and Kasim to account. “Even though nearly four years have passed, investigators have not given up and the file remains open,” she said. Angelis has since created a new memorial, and hopes it will be respected. “This is her spot,” she said.
