Today Marks One Year Since Teen's Disappearance

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

The stretch of Highway 16-East where the body of Aielah Saric-Auger was found

14-year-old Aielah Saric-Auger, a student at DP Todd Secondary, was last seen on the evening of February 2, 2006.  Her body was found eight days later on the side of Highway 16-East, near of Tabor Mountain.

Prince George RCMP Constable Gary Godwin says there is nothing new to report in the investigation on this day.  Godwin says he’s had no update from plain clothes officers investigating the young teen’s murder.

It was the disappearance and death of Saric-Auger that galvanized people and communities along Highway 16-West to come together and try to do something, in light of the many women who’ve gone missing along that stretch of road over the past decade. (click here for website)

In March of last year, Prince George hosted the "Highway of Tears" symposium, from which, came 33-recommendations centred around prevention, emergency response and community support.

Of those recommendations, Lisa Krebs, the Highway of Tears Coordinator, says only one has really come to fruition:  her position.

"To be honest with you, there’s a general apathy on the part of the Province to make resources available," says Krebs.

She says some huge gains have been made at the community-level, where motivated individuals are linking up with others to create education and awareness.  "Even going so far as creating communications protocols along the highway, so that if someone goes missing, you know, local governments can communicate with First Nations and vice versa," but, says Krebs, "On the large-scale, sort of systemic issues, we haven’t really made any advances, we haven’t really done a major education and prevention program because we don’t have any funds."

Krebs says, "I talk with Aielah’s mom, on-line, pretty regularly and she, in particular, is looking for those events, looking for (that) awareness -- even marches -- things she can participate in and they’re not happening."

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