Update
When Michelle Pearson walked out of her building this morning, she spotted her dead sister’s phone on the front steps. "I couldn't believe it. I’m so ecstatic knowing I have her voice messages to listen to and her pictures back, " Pearson said. Investigators, acting on a tip, found the stolen suitcase on the waterfront late Wednesday night but most of its contents were missing. Only some clothing and funeral service memorial cards remained. Investigators are still looking for a five-stoned blue sapphire necklace, death and cremation certificates, and printed photos.
A Vancouver Island woman is begging for the return of her late sister’s most precious possessions, stolen from her car in Nanaimo on Tuesday morning.
Michelle Pearson, 31, said a window was smashed and a suitcase was taken that had photos, jewelry, teddy bears, and the death and cremation certificate of her sister, Erika Holland, 29, who died unexpectedly in Saskatchewan on Nov. 28.
Pearson was staying with a friend on the way to her home in Campbell River and the car was parked in front of 645 Selby St. when it was ransacked.
The suitcase contained memorial cards and childhood photos people brought to Holland’s funeral on Sunday in her hometown of Ladysmith.
Also gone is a necklace with five blue sapphires and her sister’s iPhone, which had her last messages, videos and photos.
“Having her last words and her last photos of herself and the things that she touched — I can never get that back,” Pearson said.
“I can never have her back, but those things brought comfort to me and my family, to know that they were hers,” she said. “They hold her memories.”
Holland, who grew up in Ladysmith, moved to Saskatchewan to be an addictions counsellor and died after complications from surgery to remove an ovarian cyst. Holland was initially admitted to hospital in Prince Albert in February to remove the cyst, but was transferred to St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon in August because of continued bowel problems.
Pearson flew out to Saskatoon to be with her sister on Nov. 28, intending to bring her back to Vancouver Island to celebrate Christmas with their parents. Holland died that day and all Pearson brought home was her sister’s ashes.
“Nobody can explain to me why she died,” Pearson said. “You’re not supposed to bury your sister. You’re supposed to grow old together.”
Pearson has filed a complaint with St. Paul’s Hospital and is asking for a formal investigation.
St. Paul’s Hospital has the highest rate of hospital deaths in the country, according to data released in early December by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. It was the only one of 83 Canadian hospitals monitored in 2013-14 with a death rate of 111, over the baseline average of 100.
While Pearson waits for answers from the hospital, she is urging the thief to return the sentimental items to Nanaimo RCMP.
Officers who went to the scene noticed that the thief attempted to steal the car and ripped out the steering column, making the car undriveable, said RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien.
Police later found the teddy bears thrown into bushes. The suitcase is a soft-shelled, black and grey Eddie Bauer model.
“The thief most likely didn’t realize what the suitcase contained or its sentimental value,” O’Brien said. “We are hoping they will do the right thing and turn it in, or have someone call and let us know where it can be found.”
Anyone with information can call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at nanaimocrimestoppers.com.
