Whitehorse Daily Star

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A VICTIM OF A TRAGEDY – Brandy Vittrekwa, 17, was found dead on a trail in the McIntyre subdivision on Monday night. RCMP are treating her death as a homicide, and have made one arrest. Photo from FACEBOOK.COM

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

GRIM HAPPENINGS – Doris Bill (left), the chief of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, discusses the week’s events at this morning’s news conference. Looking on is executive elder Judy Gingell.

‘Two lives have been destroyed by this’

Marlee Firth wears one half of a pink friendship bracelet.

By Rhiannon Russell on December 12, 2014

Marlee Firth wears one half of a pink friendship bracelet.

The other half will rest on the wrist of her best friend, Brandy Vittrekwa, at her funeral.

“We’d call each other sisters,” Firth told the Star this morning.

“We were more like sisters than friends.”

Vittrekwa, 17, was found dead on a trail in Whitehorse’s McIntyre subdivision on Monday night.

The RCMP are treating her death as a homicide, and arrested one suspect Thursday morning. No charges have yet been laid.

At a press conference late this morning, Kwanlin Dun First Nation Chief Doris Bill said she was relieved by the arrest.

“But it’s not lost on me that this is a young person,” she said. “We have two lives that have been destroyed by this, two young lives, and that breaks my heart.”

Vittrekwa is Gwich’in, originally from Fort McPherson, N.W.T. She spent time in Inuvik and Old Crow growing up, and moved to Whitehorse with her family in 2012.

It was in a Grade 3 class in Inuvik that Firth first met Vittrekwa. They became friends right away.

Even after Vittrekwa moved to Whitehorse and Firth to Haines Junction, they’d hang out together often. Firth would come to Whitehorse and stay at Vittrekwa’s house.

“Her mom would always say, ‘Oh, dear, they’re together again,’” she said.

“Because we’d always get in trouble together. My mom would call us the ‘terrible two.’ We would always have fun, though.”

She last talked to Vittrekwa Sunday, on the phone, a day before her body was found.

“I’m happy I said I loved her, because I didn’t know this was going to happen,” she said. “I said, ‘Love you,’ and she said, ‘Love you,’ and then hung up.”

Firth was at school on Tuesday when a friend texted her, asking if she’d seen Vittrekwa. A woman’s body had been found in the McIntyre subdivision, and Vittrekwa hadn’t been home since Sunday.

“I started asking everyone where she was, everyone who she’d be with. That’s when I got really worried,” Firth said. “It’s hard. It’s really shocking. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Marlene Snowshoe, one of Vittrekwa’s aunts in Fort McPherson, said the close-knit family is struggling with the loss.

“It’s a real shock,” she said. “Everybody is pulling together here, and we’re just getting things prepared for her homecoming. It’s very hard, but we have to be there for her parents.”

Vittrekwa leaves behind an 11-year-old brother, cousins, aunts and an uncle in Fort McPherson. It’s the third recent death affecting the small community.

“She has lots of friends here, lots of school friends, who are very hurt,” Snowshoe said.

“I think this is the year they’re supposed to graduate. It’s going to be a very sad time.”

She remembers her niece’s “beautiful smile.”

In the past few days, Snowshoe has received emails and messages from people she doesn’t even know, telling them how Vittrekwa touched their lives.

Firth said the teen was well-liked, and had many friends in Whitehorse.

Firth met up with some of them last night, and they agreed that if Vittrekwa was there, she’d be making them all laugh.

“She’ll be missed, very missed,” she said. “I wish she was still here.”

She helped Vittrekwa’s mother, Norine, pick out an outfit this week for Vittrekwa to wear at the funeral. That’s when they bought the friendship bracelet.

“I’m really honoured that (she) asked me to help,” Firth said. “Her mom knew we were really close.”

At this morning’s press conference at the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, the chief said the community has raised more than $11,000 for Vittrekwa’s family.

“They’re holding up as well as they can, considering what they’re going through right now,” she said.

At a community meeting Wednesday night, everyone in the room stood up when her family walked in.

“(Her father) said to me that that really gave him strength,” Bill said. “He was really touched by that. Our community is really affected by this, and we stand with the family in their quest for justice.”

Police have released little information about the suspect arrested early Thursday morning, but Bill said the person is not a Kwanlin Dun member.

This is an ongoing problem, she said.

“We have citizens of other First Nations that come into our community and carry out illegal activities, and we end up dealing with the aftermath,” she said.

“We spend a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of our resources, dealing with citizens of other First Nations.”

It’s expected a memorial will be held for Vittrekwa here in Whitehorse, as well as a funeral in Fort McPherson, but details have not yet been made public.

Bill said Kwanlin Dun is hosting a circle today for the community’s young people, many of whom were friends with Vittrekwa and are taking her death very hard.

It is the second murder in the community this year.

Allan Waugh, 69, was found dead in his home last May. No arrests have been made in that case.

“We still have another family that is in limbo – the Waugh family,” Bill said.

“This hasn’t been easy for them. It has brought up a lot of memories for them.”

She asked that anyone with information about either death come forward.

RCMP have asked that anyone with information about Vittrekwa’s death, or anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area of Hanna Crescent and Murphy Road on Sunday or Monday, is asked to contact the Whitehorse RCMP at 667-5555.

The investigation into Waugh’s death is also ongoing.

See editorial.

Comments (7)

Up 0 Down 0

Matson reindeer on Jun 23, 2015 at 3:04 pm

You were like my sister. You tell people that bother me to go away
We miss you every day and always miss you forever in our hearts

Up 23 Down 3

dislikers go away on Dec 16, 2014 at 12:56 am

Very sorry to Brandy Vittrewka's family, friends and loved ones during this sad time. I'm glad there is a lot of coverage of this horrible tragedy--we need to fight for awareness and prevention of violence against females. For the a--holes who are putting dislikes to the nice comments, find a hole and crawl in it. People sometimes have no heart.

Up 24 Down 0

Stacey reindeer on Dec 15, 2014 at 2:25 pm

Sorry for your lost!!! Be strong n positive for one another take good care of each other!! My heart goes out to the Vitterekwa family of the late Brandie Vitterekwa

Up 30 Down 1

Natalya Spassova on Dec 15, 2014 at 10:22 am

My heart is broken too....As a mother of 2 kids I can imagine how much pain the family have from this lost...really sorry..and sad...be strong everyone who loved her..

Up 31 Down 1

Julivanie Suhardja on Dec 15, 2014 at 10:14 am

May your lovely spirit and soul rest in peace Brandy. You're so loved by many and touched our deepest sympathy.

Up 31 Down 1

Jessica Pegahmagabow on Dec 13, 2014 at 8:05 pm

Prayers for her family and friends.

Up 40 Down 2

Darcie Quock on Dec 13, 2014 at 12:29 am

My heart is broken. .I have never met this young lady but our nation (Tahltan) feels for the family and friends of this young girl. Thoughts and prayers are with you all ❤️ RIP Sweetie

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