Families of victims in unsolved homicide investigations gathered outside British Columbia RCMP headquarters on Sunday, calling for more action from investigators and changes to the justice system. Among those attending was organizer Christine Angelis, whose 31-year-old daughter Kiesha Garie was found dead alongside her fiancé, 30-year-old Umair Kasim, in a car in Burnaby in October 2022. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team took conduct of the case, but no charges have been laid. “We still don’t have answers,” Angelis said in an interview Sunday. “I’ve literally had to turn my pain into a fight for justice because the system has completely failed.” Angelis said she sympathizes with investigators who must meet British Columbia’s charge assessment standard, which requires a “substantial likelihood of conviction,” but said communication with families needs to improve. “Their lack of communication with families is not acceptable,” she said. “We’re already going through the worst pain imaginable. We should not be kept in the dark.” She added families are also hoping to see changes to the bail system, saying she feels “the whole system has completely failed.” The rally outside RCMP headquarters in Surrey also drew the family of 26-year-old Devon Goodrick, who was last seen in Surrey four years ago. His sister, Nikki Goodrick, said she encountered difficulties getting information from police early in the investigation. “They brushed me off,” she said. “In the most important hours, days, weeks of an investigation, they brushed us off.” Goodrick said she has gathered information about her brother’s case herself and shared it with investigators but has received little information in return. “I know that IHIT has to follow the rules of the justice system, but this is their career and they see how flawed the system is,” she said. The families said they plan to continue advocating for improved communication, greater transparency and changes they believe could help advance unsolved investigations cases in B.C.
