Indigenous woman killed in B.C. had said RCMP failed to respond to stalking reports

The family of a slain Indigenous woman in Prince George, B.C., wants to know why RCMP didn't do more to protect her after she said she told police she was being stalked and threatened by a man in the community.

Christin Marion West, 36, was found dead in her apartment on Aug. 7. Her body was discovered by family members after they reported her missing to RCMP.

Police have since arrested Dennis Daniel Gladue and the B.C. Prosecution Service has approved a charge of second-degree murder. 

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper of Prince George RCMP said West and Gladue were known to each other, but did not elaborate on the nature of their relationship. She later confirmed Gladue was not the suspect in the stalking and harassment incidents reported by West.

West's sister, Candace West, said she also doesn't know the nature of her sibling's relationship with Gladue. But she said Christin West had contacted police several times about being stalked and harassed in the months leading up to her homicide.

"I really believe she would still be here if they had just helped her," Candace West said of her sister.

"They did nothing."

In response to these concerns, Prince George RCMP issued an update Aug. 12 stating they had investigated Christin West's complaints but "ultimately, there was not enough evidence to support charge recommendations." Instead, police say, "safety plans were discussed with all parties involved."

However, West's Facebook history makes it clear she was not satisfied with the response she received from RCMP.

In one instance last month, she posted on Facebook to say her tires had been slashed "because I refuse to be someone's [girlfriend]" and that she was being threatened. 

"Two male cops came and sided with the stalker who is harassing me," she wrote in the July 3 post.

Candace West said her sister felt insulted and dismissed by the attending officers.

In another Facebook post, Christin West had speculated that it was because both the police and accused in that incident were white, while she was Indigenous. 

"I experienced biased racial opinions and got told straight out 'he didn't believe me'" Christin West wrote on July 8.

"They wonder why we don't trust the police."

Honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Christin West is being remembered by her friends and family as a kind, quiet person with a big heart and an easy smile.

She was Saik'uz on her mother's side and Lake Babine First Nation on her father's. She was close with her family, especially her mother, and was a member of the Khast'an Drummers, frequently participating in drumming circles and public performances. 

A public memorial is being held on Sunday at the Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park in Prince George. 

West's death has reignited public conversation over how the police treat the concerns of Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people.

On Monday, more than 100 people marched through downtown Prince George holding signs reading "Justice for Christin" and "Indigenous Lives Matter."

Candace said she'd participated in other rallies in support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) before, but said, "I never thought I would have to do this for my own family. Especially for my sister." 

Advocates estimate more than 40 women and girls, mostly Indigenous, have gone missing or been murdered since 1969 along the 700-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George, often referred to as the Highway of Tears.

In 2019, the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls described the murders and disappearances of thousands of Indigenous women and girls across the country as a "Canadian genocide", and made more than 230 recommendations, including the need for more "responsive, transparent and accountable policing."

Support resources available

For immediate mental and emotional wellness support, the MMIWG National Inquiry's toll-free support phone line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1-844-413-6649. The service is available in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut.

Mental health counselling and community-based cultural support services have been made available through the inquiry process through Indigenous Services Canada, and are still available. Local Indigenous organizations co-ordinate the service of Elders, traditional healers and community-based support workers.