Loved ones of Keesha Crawler gathered around a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals along a highway that runs through the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, west of Calgary, Alta.
Some wore ribbon skirts, other drummed and sang as they honored the life of the 23-year-old.
The memorial is placed where RCMP was called on April 18, 2021 to assist with an unresponsive female identified as Crawler.
Her mother, Heather Poucette said she is determined to find out how her daughter died.
“My daughter did not ask for this,” said Poucette. “She’s a mother of two kids. My oldest granddaughter is five, my grandson is three. They’re asking, ‘where’s mom?’”
According to a press release from RCMP, the investigation suggests Crawler “departed from a moving vehicle then was placed back into the vehicle.”
She was later located and pronounced deceased.
Bryan Kelrick House Jr, 37, has been charged with criminal negligence causing death.
Police say as the case is before the courts, no further details can be provided.
Poucette told APTN that House was Crawler’s boyfriend.
“It’s so hard to swallow because I never think that there would come a day where I would have to bury my own daughter,” Poucette said while standing next to the memorial, surrounded by Crawler’s friends.
She described her daughter as adventurous and willing to try new things.
“She made friends easy. She was humorous, kind, humble, compassionate. We will miss her fried bannock. She made one good fried bannock,” she said.
Crawler’s friend, Arizona Snow said the pair would talk about plans 10 years into the future.
“I would have never thought she would be gone like this.”
House has been released on bail and is to appear in Cochrane provincial court on May 25.
