The search for a missing Vancouver Indigenous woman, Chelsea Poorman has come to a tragic end after her remains were discovered outside an empty house in Shaughnessy late last month.
“This is not the outcome anyone wanted. We always hoped Chelsea would be found alive, and our sympathies go out to everyone who knew Chelsea, loved her, and hoped she would come home safely,” says Sergeant Steve Addison.
Chelsea was 24 when she was reported missing on September 8, 2020. She was last seen by a family member two days earlier on Granville Street.
VPD’s Missing Persons Unit immediately launched an investigation, which was later turned over to the Major Crime Section. A senior investigation team continued to look for Chelsea until she was discovered on April 22 by contractors working at a vacant house near Granville Street and West 37th Avenue.
VPD notified the BC Coroners Service immediately after Chelsea’s remains were found, and has now received the findings from the coroner’s investigation. Investigators believe Chelsea likely died on the property the night she disappeared or shortly thereafter, but went undiscovered because the house has been vacant for years. Her death is not suspicious.
VPD investigators met today with some of Chelsea’s family members to inform them that her remains had been found and to update them on the findings.
