Every spring, the rivers run, the soil shifts, and the landscape changes.
For most Canadians, it's just evidence of climate change.
But for murder investigators in the Okanagan, for the drone pilots and ATV drivers, and particularly for the relatives of Ashley Simpson, it makes it harder to look for her last human remains.
Three years ago, my cousin was a vibrant, 32-year-old nicknamed Gypsy for her meandering ways. She was up for any challenge: the catching of the biggest fish, snowboarding in a bikini on a dare.
The dark haired beauty was fearless in all manner of things, especially in her love of her big family.
Today, she remains just a memory, a snapshot in the eyes of the public who see her posters, and hole in the hearts of her mother and father who try desperately to hold out hope that she will be found.
Her mother Cindy says the grandkids are always asking: have they found Aunt Ashley in the woods yet?
What is she supposed to say to them?
What is she supposed to say to herself on the long nights she works as a cook on the great ships going through the Welland Canal.
Ashley's dad takes some solace in the fact that he has raised awareness and money for missing and murdered women in Canada. But as he said to me two years ago, he often has to pull over to the side of the road because he's crying so hard he can't see the road.
Where are you, Ashley? Who did this to you, and your family?
A lot can happen in three years. Births, deaths, anniversaries but time stands still for the Simpson family. The soil runs off, but memories linger.
They still hold out hope that someone knows something.
So on the third anniversary of Ashley's gone missing, the RCMP has released a video of Cindy Simpson asking for your help.
Please, someone say something. Stop protecting the person or persons who did this to her.
Give this family closure.
For most Canadians, it's just evidence of climate change.
But for murder investigators in the Okanagan, for the drone pilots and ATV drivers, and particularly for the relatives of Ashley Simpson, it makes it harder to look for her last human remains.
Three years ago, my cousin was a vibrant, 32-year-old nicknamed Gypsy for her meandering ways. She was up for any challenge: the catching of the biggest fish, snowboarding in a bikini on a dare.
The dark haired beauty was fearless in all manner of things, especially in her love of her big family.
Today, she remains just a memory, a snapshot in the eyes of the public who see her posters, and hole in the hearts of her mother and father who try desperately to hold out hope that she will be found.
Her mother Cindy says the grandkids are always asking: have they found Aunt Ashley in the woods yet?
What is she supposed to say to them?
What is she supposed to say to herself on the long nights she works as a cook on the great ships going through the Welland Canal.
Ashley's dad takes some solace in the fact that he has raised awareness and money for missing and murdered women in Canada. But as he said to me two years ago, he often has to pull over to the side of the road because he's crying so hard he can't see the road.
Where are you, Ashley? Who did this to you, and your family?
A lot can happen in three years. Births, deaths, anniversaries but time stands still for the Simpson family. The soil runs off, but memories linger.
They still hold out hope that someone knows something.
So on the third anniversary of Ashley's gone missing, the RCMP has released a video of Cindy Simpson asking for your help.
Please, someone say something. Stop protecting the person or persons who did this to her.
Give this family closure.
The family wants to end their uncertainty (Ambiguous Loss, Dr. Pauline Boss) by getting "the big answer". "Closure" is a myth and a word that should not be used in the context of missing loved ones, for that matter, for anyone.
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