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Families of Three Indigenous Females Push for Coroner’s Inquest in B.C.

On Red Dress Day, advocates formally petitioned the B.C. Public Safety Ministry to re-examine contested causes of death and stalled investigations.

Hundreds of people take part in the third Our Women Are Sacred walk of reflection on Songhees-Esquimalt Nation land in Esquimalt on Monday, May 5, 2025.
Supporters put up a poster asking what happened to Chelsea Poorman at a march in her honour on Saturday.
 Tatyanna Harrison’s mother, Natasha Harrison, left, watches Noelle O’Soup’s aunt, Josie August, and Chelsea Poorman’s mother, Sheila Poorman, during a news conference at Justice for Girls in Vancouver on Monday May 5, 2025.
 Grand Chief Stewart Phillip speaks during a news conference at Justice for Girls in Vancouver on Monday, May 5, 2025.

Overview

  • Families of Tatyanna Harrison, Chelsea Poorman, and 13-year-old Noelle O’Soup demand a coroner’s inquest into their 2022 deaths in British Columbia.
  • Justice for Girls lawyer Sue Brown submitted the request to Public Safety Minister Garry Begg, citing concerns over forensic findings and investigative inaction.
  • An independent forensic pathologist challenged the coroner’s ruling of sepsis as Harrison’s cause of death, recommending it be classified as undetermined.
  • The RCMP investigations into the deaths remain stagnant, relying solely on the original coroner’s conclusions despite unresolved questions.
  • The inquest request coincides with Red Dress Day, a national day of awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ individuals.