Skip to main content

Ashley Simpson: April is the cruelist month





The coming of the cold winds of April is a bittersweet time for me.
Two years ago in April, we welcomed our second granddaughter, a little nugget who has changed my life for the better.
But it is also the month, two years ago, when my cousin Ashley Simpson went missing from her home in Salmon Arm, B.C. I didn't know Ashley before she disappeared, most people didn't. But now she is famous with her image on t-shirts and posters, as the subject of many stories on television and in print.
We all want our 15 minutes of fame.
Being murdered and missing will get you that.
It would be terrible enough if Ashley's disappearance was just a solo event. Unfortunately, she has become the member of a club no one ever wanted to join. She is among several women who have disappeared from her area. Only one has been located, and she wound up dead, found in a field near Silver Creek, B.C.
What happened to Ashley, Caitlin Potts, Deanna Wertz, and Nicole Bell? Maybe we'll never know.
Maybe the killer(s) will never be caught, having mastered the tilling of a killing field where girls and women go to die in British Columbia.
But there is always hope. Maybe not for Ashley, et al. But for other women and girls yet to fall victim to terrible tragedy.
Maybe finding ways to prevent their capture may be all we can ask for in this cruel world.
And that, at least, is something we can hang our hope on.

Last year, my cousin John Simpson and his family spearheaded a drive to raise money to buy drones that will enable searchers to scour the wooded areas, rivers and streams that have made searching treacherous if not impossible. And this year, local organizers are looking for volunteers to join their team called the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Drone Search Team.
They will continue to fundraise to buy more sophisticated drones to cover more area and perhaps enhance the detail from their searches.
There are many ways you can help. Donate. Hold an event. Sponsor a drone.
You can start by joining this Facebook group Please Bring Ashley Simpson Home.
Here, you will find more information on what you can do.

Meantime, I join with all of you in praying for these women and their families, and hoping that they finally get closure.
Two years is a long time with no answers.
And April is the cruelest month of all.

These women, and their families, are not alone. See below.





Comments

  1. john simpson aka sindal simpson21 April 2018 at 08:20

    Rose your truly a master of words while I read your every word the tears as always follow but that's fine ,I'll say again what a beautiful piece of work hitting the nail straight on the head this country needs to be invoved with this issue it matters to all we need to put an end to this terrorism on women and get closure for those who been gone on but not forgotten ,,till then #ashleys army will march on one foot infront of the other making sure all of Canada knows of this tragedy and try's puts an end to it NEVER GIVE UP NEVER ,,thanbk you Rose once again

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey Cousin Rose , your words are not only strong and true , but give hope and love to the ones who are suffering from the loss of there loved one. in that you raise awareness to others and for hope that just maybe we can stop the madness and find our missing women/girls and pray that no more go missing . Life is to short to take life for granted . We only live once and we need to live it to the fullest and make the best of what we have left . cherish your loved ones and your friends .. pray this never happens to your loved ones , so take a stand and take a look to see what you can to to help this great cause and dont forget NEVER GIVE UP i know i wont Hugs go my big brother John and Cindy always be there for you xoxxo Thanks Rose for your kind and wise words

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ashley Simpson: Don't Let Her Die in Vain

  Six years ago, I was combing through my Facebook and I saw post from my cousin Julie Major. Her brother and his wife were frantically looking for their daughter Ashley who just days before had Facetimed her mom saying she was planning to return to her home in Niagara. Ashley never made it home. She was murdered in cold blood in her home in Salmon Arm then buried in a nearby field. It would be five and a half years before her body was located, and her boyfriend was charged with second degree murder.  Today, Ashley's urn has a sacred spot in her parents' home, and Derek Favell is in jail awaiting trial by judge and jury. The trial is expected to go into next year sometime. This has been an agonizing journey for Ashley's friends and family. The pain has never stopped, and the wounds are broken open every time the family has to sit through a series of pre-trial proceedings. Fortunately, this ordeal will end but the pain will never wane for the people, including me, who have b...

Ashley Simpson: A Father Remembers

I have asked Ashley Simpson's family and friends to give us a glimpse into the life she lived before going missing nearly a month ago. Here is how her father John remembers his sweet girl. Ashley was a treat when she came into this world, a smashing 9lbs 8 ounces with a  head full of hair and nails that needed to be clipped. She has made many friends in her journey of life and continues to make them as we speak. She has made this world a better place by her love of mankind and this place we call Earth; unfortunately this life she has lived hasn't been the best for her. She has suffered through unbearable pain and suffering through her menstrual cycles. She has cysts on her ovaries that make those 10 days a living hell. She had one of her ovaries removed when she was just 14; the other they won't take out till she is 40 or older. Years of hell for my Ashley. I so feel her pain every month but she doesn't quit, doesn't give in.   That'...

What Bell isn't telling you about Fibe TV

Update: This week, we switched back to Rogers after spending far too long using Bell's crappy television service. For those with Bell, read and weep. For those considering Bell, think twice even if you hate Rogers. RS I've always been an early technology adapter. I had a Betamax. That tells you everything (if you're over 50 at least). My first computer was a "Portable". It weighed 40 pounds and I had to lug it around town on a gurney. I've been through probably 15 computers in my lifetime. Apple is the best. It's also too expensive so I have a piece of shit HP, the one I'm writing this blog on. I've had cable, internet and now Netflix. American Netflix . That's how far ahead of the curve I am. I get all the newspapers for free. How? I disabled my cookies so they can't track me when I'm on the newspaper sites. Even the New York Times hasn't cottoned on to that trick. Hahaha. That will be a fifty buck consulting fee. Bein...