A secretly recorded telephone name, stated to be with an RCMP member, has reignited requires a brand new investigation into the disturbing electrocution death of a Fraser Valley woman and her two canine seven years in the past.
“People know answers. We’re just not getting them and it’s very, very frustrating,” stated Laura Nichols whose sister Shirley Nate was electrocuted.
“You just feel like there’s this brick wall in front of you.”
Nate was strolling close to Kilby Park in the District of Kent on Oct. 18, 2015 when she was electrocuted. Her burns have been so severe, each her arms needed to be amputated. She died 5 weeks later.
A CTV News investigation has uncovered that the facility line could have come down days earlier than the accident and that it was allegedly reported to the District of Kent, however that no motion was taken.
“I was shocked, I was shocked,” stated Sarah Shupe who didn’t know Nate, however stated she began listening to troubling info surrounding the death after she left her administration job on the Agassiz RCMP detachment.
“Everybody kept bringing up this woman who got electrocuted,” Shupe stated.
THE PHONE CALL
Shupe alleges one of the individuals elevating issues was an Agassiz RCMP member who investigated Nate’s death.
Shupe stated that final 12 months, she recorded half of a telephone name with the officer. What that member informed her was mind-boggling.
In the decision, the officer alleges the downed line was mentioned in a Kent public works assembly on a Friday. Nate was electrocuted two days later.
“They knew it was down. They chose not to do anything about it ‘til next week,” the officer stated in the recording.
The officer stated when employees returned to work after the lengthy weekend, an emergency public works assembly was known as.
“And basically tell everyone to shut the f***up, we never talked about it on Friday.”
The officer stated she investigated two Kent workers for legal negligence.
“The bigger part to me was that they tried to cover it up, right? Like you did a risk assessment, it wasn’t the right choice, but you f***ing own it.”
The officer stated in the recording that she interviewed public works employees.
A report went to Crown Counsel, however prices weren’t accepted. Shupe stated the officer informed her prosecutors wished extra proof.
“Crown counsel had come back to them (the RCMP) and explained to them what was needed to further the investigation. And at that point, a senior member in the RCMP would not allow the constable conducting the investigation to move the investigation where it needed to go,” Shupe stated the officer alleged.
In the recording, the officer will be heard saying, “And then I put it forward to Corp and he wouldn’t let me move it in the way I wanted to. And I never understood why. Like someone died. Why would we not try our best?”
The officer later alleges a Kent supervisor’s clout with the RCMP could have hampered the investigation.
“There would have been back pressure from them not to do anything, right?”
DISTRICT EMPLOYEES SPEAK OUT
A person, who CTV News agreed to not establish, was working for the district’s public works division in 2015.
He stated the district knew concerning the downed line days earlier than the accident.
“They knew about it and they were just going to wait until the following week and deal with it then,” he stated.
“The worst part is, it’s been swept under the carpet.”
He is the third one that labored for public works to inform CTV News that the District of Kent knew concerning the downed line earlier than the accident.
All three additionally allege that the district tried to cowl up what it knew, holding an emergency assembly with public works employees.
“In that meeting, basically, we were told by management that the district knew nothing about the power lines being down and if anybody asked us about this, that we should just shut our mouths,” the employee stated.
Last 12 months, Dave Morris, a former District of Kent employee, informed CTV News the identical info.
“It’s been covered up. It’s been covered up,” he stated on the time.
RCMP, MAYOR RESPOND
CTV News contacted the officer in the telephone recording, however she declined to remark. She is now with a unique detachment. CTV News additionally requested an interview with the District of Kent, however was turned down.
Instead Mayor Sylvia Pranger issued an announcement.
“The District of Kent takes these allegations seriously and will work and cooperate with the RCMP,” the assertion stated in half.
The mayor stated if there was new proof, it wanted to be supplied to the police.
“This is a very serious investigation into the death of a woman. Any information or evidence that will assist our investigators is critical to this investigation and will be followed up on. No new information or evidence has been reported to the Agassiz RCMP,” stated Sgt. Krista Vrolyk of the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP.
When requested concerning the audio recording, she stated, “We’ve been made aware of the recording, but to my knowledge, the recording has never been provided to police so I’m unaware of the legitimacy of it.”
But Shupe stated she supplied the audio to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP after submitting a criticism towards the RCMP on the request of Nate’s household.
She confirmed CTV News documentation that seems to indicate the criticism was forwarded to the RCMP Oct. 12.
‘WE NEED HELP’
Shupe stated regardless of issues for herself and her household, she felt she needed to go public with what she had discovered about Nate’s death.
“We trust the RCMP to uphold the law. In this case, I believe that the investigation was not an unbiased investigation…” Shupe stated.
“It’s important to me because an innocent woman lost her life,” Shupe stated.
Fighting again tears, Nate’s sister stated she’s grateful for what Shupe has performed.
“Her just coming out of the blue and phoning me and wanting to help our family. I don’t even know her. Just an angel…” Nichols stated.
Nate’s household is asking for an out of doors policing company to analyze the death.
“We need help,” stated Nichols.
And they hope that assistance will make them the reality.