Missing Cree woman Chelsea Poorman found dead outside empty Vancouver home
Police say 24-year-old died shortly after her disappearance, but the death is not considered suspicious
More than a year and a half after she disappeared in Vancouver, Chelsea Poorman has been found dead outside an empty house, according to police.
The 24-year-old Cree woman's remains were found on the property of an empty home in the pricey Shaughnessy neighbourhood, according to a written statement from the Vancouver police.
Contractors working on a house near Granville Street and West 37th Avenue made the grisly discovery on April 22.
"This is not the outcome anyone wanted. We always hoped Chelsea would be found alive, and our sympathies go out to everyone who knew Chelsea, loved her, and hoped she would come home safely," Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Steve Addison said in the statement.
Investigators do not believe her death was suspicious, but Addison told reporters that because the remains were essentially skeletal, it's unlikely the cause of death will ever be determined.
Poorman was reported missing on Sept. 8, 2020. She was last seen by her sister two days earlier, after dinner and drinks on Granville Street downtown.
Police say a forensic review has determined that Poorman likely died on the property where she was found on the night she disappeared or shortly after, but her remains went unnoticed because the house had been vacant for so long, the statement says.
Addison said that Poorman's body was discovered in the backyard, which is overgrown and unkempt, so it's understandable she wasn't found before now.
Investigators don't know how or why she ended up at the home.
Police say Poorman's family has been informed.
Poorman has been described as a friendly, funny and caring young woman who loved animals, fashion and music and dreamed of attending film school.
Her family mounted a public campaign for information about her following her disappearance, taping up posters across the city and hiring a private investigator.
They have said she was particularly vulnerable because of a brain injury and her trusting personality.
Her mother, Sheila Poorman, has expressed concern that police didn't notify the public about her daughter's disappearance until 10 days after she was last seen.