Vancouver police responses to deaths of young Indigenous women, girl under investigation
Independent policing office reviewing investigations into all 3 cases, CBC News has learned
WARNING: This story discusses violence against Indigenous women and girls and may affect those who have experienced it or know someone who has.
Years after the bodies of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl were separately discovered across Metro Vancouver in disturbing circumstances, investigations into how the Vancouver Police Department handled the three cases have been launched, CBC News has learned.
During the spring of 2022, the bodies of 14-year-old Noelle O'Soup, 24-year-old Chelsea Poorman and 20-year-old Tatyanna Harrison were discovered within weeks of each other.
A Vancouver police officer is facing a misconduct investigation in connection with O'Soup's death. An investigation into the VPD's handling of Poorman's case was announced in January.
Now, the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC), the civilian, independent office that oversees complaints into police forces in B.C., has launched a third and separate investigation into the handling of Harrison's case.
Harrison's body was found on a yacht in a dry dock in Richmond in May 2022, though her body wasn't identified until August of that year.
Tatyanna's mother, Natasha Harrison, raised concerns about the handling of her daughter's case, including a 20-day delay in launching a search as the file passed between jurisdictions.
"I understand there has been public reporting of concerns respecting police response to the missing persons report involving Tatyanna Harrison," the OPCC's Andrea Spindler said in a statement.
"While I am unable to go into details with the specifics of this case due to confidentiality provisions, the Commissioner has determined it to be in the public interest to confirm that we initiated an investigation into the Vancouver Police Department's handling of this missing persons investigation."
The three deaths raised concerns about how police investigate cases involving young Indigenous women and girls.
While never linked by police, the deaths stirred fear in the community because of the unusual locations where the bodies were found and similarities between the victims. They also triggered an outcry from the families, who raised concerns about a lack of urgency in initiating missing persons investigations and, in two of the three cases, determinations that the deaths were not suspicious.
The cases also invoked one of the darkest chapters of Vancouver's past, echoing errors in the police investigation into serial killer Robert Pickton.
In a statement, the VPD said, "there are multiple avenues for a person to submit a complaint to the OPCC, and the agency even has authority to initiate investigations on its own volition when formal complaints have not been made."
"We fully support the OPCC's jurisdiction to conduct investigations in these, or any other cases."
Lorimer Shenher, a former detective and former head of the VPD's Missing Person Unit, said the three cases are "screaming" for more investigation.
"Ultimately, there is still quite a bit of discretion in the hands of police to make determinations about these cases and to decide whether they are worthy of more investigation. Sadly, these are perfect examples of that discretion failing these victims," he said.
"What it really shines a light on is that it is sadly easy to this day to victimize young Indigenous people. And that to me is just unconscionable."
A docked yacht and changed cause of death
Tatyanna Harrison was living in Vancouver when she disappeared.
Her body was found on a 40-foot yacht in a Richmond dry dock in May 2022, though it took months for her to be identified. To this day, her death is not considered suspicious.
But Natasha Harrison is unsatisfied with that finding — questioning how her daughter travelled to the location, and why no rape kit was performed on her despite her being naked from the waist down when she was found.
"You guys can't tell me how she got in and out of a 24-hour surveillance shipping yard with $40-million yachts?" she said.
"None of it makes sense."
Natasha Harrison told CBC News that while she was initially told her daughter had died due to an overdose from fentanyl, a coroner's report later revealed her cause of death was sepsis — raising yet more questions about the investigation.
The OPCC would not confirm what aspect of the VPD's response was being investigated, writing "generally speaking, there are strict confidentiality provisions contained in the Police Act which prohibit the OPCC from disclosing that an investigation has been or may be initiated or releasing any information relating to an investigation under the Police Act."
Natasha Harrison told CBC News there was a nearly three-week delay in beginning the search for her daughter because the VPD initially transferred the file to the Surrey RCMP.
In a statement, the VPD said, "Although Surrey RCMP initiated the missing person investigation, VPD took over as the lead agency investigating her disappearance after it was determined that she was last seen in Vancouver."
"Our investigation has not found evidence that Tatyanna's disappearance was the result of a crime."
A missing girl and an empty mansion
The development in Harrison's case has lent hope to the Poorman family, who have been vocal about how Chelsea's case was handled.
Chelsea first disappeared in September 2020. Her body was found 18 months later on West 36th Avenue, in the yard of a mansion in Shaughnessy, one of Canada's most expensive neighbourhoods. The owner of the property was living out of the country at the time, and her body was first seen by a person hired to work in the yard.
Chelsea's death was quickly deemed non-suspicious — despite the family raising concerns about multiple aspects of the investigation.
Her mother, Sheila Poorman, said it took over a week for police to issue a missing person report, despite Chelsea being a vulnerable person because she had a brain injury and disability. She told the media that her daughter's body was missing fingers and a section of her cranium when her remains were found.
The New Westminster Police Department is investigating the conduct of several Vancouver police officers in relation to Poorman's disappearance.
Diamond Poorman, Chelsea's older sister, said her family stopped receiving updates from the police around two years ago.
"I think we're just waiting and hoping for a miracle or something to happen," she said. "It's not just my sister; it's other women, too."
The Vancouver police said in a statement that there is no evidence Chelsea's death was the result of a crime, though they continue to investigate how she travelled to the location where she died, given that she had difficulty walking.
'Serial killer'
The details of 14-year-old Noelle O'Soup's case are as disturbing as they are baffling.
O'Soup was in the custody of B.C.'s Ministry of Child and Family Development and was living in a group home in Port Coquitlam. She fled that home in May 2021, though close family members say they were never informed that she had disappeared.
Her body was found in May 2022 in a one-room apartment on Heatley Avenue alongside the body of a woman. The apartment also contained the body of its tenant, a 46-year-old man named Van Chung Pham.
But when police initially searched the room, they found only Pham's body. The two other bodies in the small room would only be found months later, leaving the families confounded.
"It makes me sick to my stomach," O'Soup's uncle Cody Munch said at the time.
"I definitely think that this guy should be investigated as a serial killer."
A police officer is being investigated for alleged neglect of duty under the Police Act in connection with the discovery of the bodies.
The OPCC said the accusation is linked to the officer's conduct when it came to attending the Strathcona apartment, but did not give further details on the nature of the misconduct allegation.
Under the Police Act, neglect of duty can happen in several ways: an officer fails to perform their duties, fails to work with others, leaves an area without permission, or fails to show up for duty — on time or at all — without good reason.
A CBC News investigation revealed more disturbing details in the case. Canadian immigration officials had deemed Pham a danger to vulnerable women in Vancouver and had sought to have him deported back to his home country of Vietnam. When the attempt at deportation stalled, they released him back into the community.
Pham was also linked to the deaths of and assaults on other women.
Another unknown woman had died of an overdose while in his hotel room at the Canada Hotel.
Yet another woman had reported to police that he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Heatley Block apartment.
Of the three cases, O'Soup's is the only one that remains an ongoing criminal investigation.
If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. If you're affected by intimate partner violence, you can look for help through crisis lines and local support services.
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