NV NV - Jessica Foster, 21, North Las Vegas, 29 March 2006

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Please post as far and wide. Glendene is hoping this letter may reach Jessica in some way.

many thanks.

GlendeneLettertoJessicaFoster.jpg
 
The search continues for missing Calgary woman
It's been exactly three years since Jessica Foster went missing. The Calgary woman disappeared while in Las Vegas on March 29, 2006. Since then, police haven't been able to find her. Her family has hired private detectives to track her down, but so far, have had no luck finding any trace of her.

Family members are convinced Jessica got caught up in a web of human trafficking and prostitution. She was last seen with her boyfriend while in Las Vegas. Investigators say Jessica's boyfriend was well known to them.

Jessica's family has established a $50,000 reward for information that could lead authorities to her whereabouts.

http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090329/CGY_jessica_foster_090329/20090329/?hub=CalgaryHome
 
I think I asked this before, but do we have anymore information regarding Yvonne Hubrechtsen? Has LE ever been able to speak with her regarding Jessie?

Prayers to all family and friends.
 
ella's mom said:
I think I asked this before, but do we have anymore information regarding Yvonne Hubrechtsen? Has LE ever been able to speak with her regarding Jessie?

Prayers to all family and friends.
Click to expand...

I'm sure they have, but it's not like she is going to open up. She's probably scared, they all ran in a dangerous circle.
 
Danaya said:
I'm sure they have, but it's not like she is going to open up. She's probably scared, they all ran in a dangerous circle.
Click to expand...
Does Canada do the same thing they do in the states for witnesses? Like give a lesser chanrge if you provide information on something else?

Does that question make sense?
 
Yes, but even so, if she knows the killers then she knows they will kill again. I just think a lot of people know things but don't come forward out of fear...
 
I was honoured when several months ago Gladys Radek invited me to be a speaker at the 19th Annual Women's Memorial March to be held in Vancouver, BC CANADA on Sunday, February 14th, 2010. I said yes right away, and was surprised when the time came around so fast. And by the time it did, I had been unemployed for over 3 months and was financially NOT able to make it. BUT, this was a chance for Jessie’s case to get more attention and I needed to be able to tell her story to the many people who were going to be there. I was so lucky to have friends who were able to help me get a Greyhound bus ticket and day passes for the Vancouver city bus to ensure that I did not miss this opportunity. Since I had a place to stay, it really did not cost much more than that. I was, and I still am, so grateful to everyone who made this happen for Jessie.

The Woman’s Memorial March is held on Valentine’s Day every year and has been for the past 18 years. This year it coincided with the opening weekend of the 2010 Olympics. There has been a lot of controversy over the games since the announcement of Vancouver getting the ‘honour’ of being host to the world. The city of Vancouver and the province of British Columbia, along with most of Canada are suffering horribly from the economy. We really could not afford to host the Olympics. Not like Calgary could back in 1988.

We taxpayers of BC will be paying for these games for decades to come. We have a horrific homeless problem here that sadly has no end in sight; things will get much worse before they get any better. We have schools merging all the kids together, or simply closing – all over our province – people are holding rallies to KEEP THEIR SCHOOL OPEN. I have seen many of them on the news, but they do not always help, the schools are still slated to close.

There are so many things that needed the funds that went to the Olympics and now that they are here, we have no snow; they are trucking and flying in the snow. At a cost of how much more money?? There are unsold tickets that are sitting there, with no revenue coming back in. The province is going to take a huge loss on the 2010 Olympics and it is the poor, it is the children, it is the social programs that will ultimately pay for it . . . strike that, who ARE paying for it.

One of the most active groups against the Olympics is the APC (Anti-Poverty Committee) who are always protesting things that suck the money out of the taxpayers at the expense of those who need it. Even though they are not too well liked by other organizations as they tend to get violent during their protests and marches, they are very active in their cause.

They held a march on Saturday, February 13, 2010 to protest the Olympics, which I ended up walking in. I never planned on going to this protest. I got off the Greyhound bus from Kamloops in downtown Vancouver, my friend Gladys Radek met me there, and as we left the building they were going right by. We were right there as they passed by, so we just started walking and talking to media and people about Jessie. Showing her poster and handing some out. It was for Jessie that we were there. We started noticing it was getting a bit wild. We were seeing garbage strewn across the streets, garbage cans and newspaper boxes tipped over. We went left when they went right at Victory Square.

When we got back to Gladys’ house, we saw the news of the destruction they caused a block after we left the group. Smashing in the huge windows of “The Bay” department store; fighting with the police; people being arrested. It was so ridicules, in my opinion! But I did what I needed to do – I told several media outlets and many people about Jessie’s disappearance and handed out about 100 posters.

Remember; don’t get me wrong, I am not a hater. I am not actively protesting the Olympics, but I do not agree with what happened here in BC in the past several years while Vancouver was preparing to ‘impress’ the world. They even built a $100,000 center (a room) for the media to go to get info on serial killer Robert “Willie” Pickton and his horrific crimes. They never put $100,000 into aftercare for the families, the children of his victims.

My friend Gladys Radek is the co-founder of the Walk4Justice. With her good friend and colleague Bernie Williams and all the other volunteers who put in hours & hours of their time and lots of blood, sweat & tears to bring their vision to reality. They not just formed the organization, but also held several “walks for justice” – including their very long journey from British Columbia to Ontario, Canada. They walked from the west coast to our nation’s capital, Ottawa – about 4,500 kms or nearly 2,800 miles – over half way across the country. THEY WALKED. With many other family members & friends. There were babies in buggies and there was sweet, dear old Grandma Mable Todd – she was the oldest walker at the age of 75 years young. CAN YOU IMAGINE? I can’t.

Both Gladys and Bernie are friends of mine, very dear to my heart, and Mable is the mother-in-law to my old friend, from grade 6 Eli’s sister, Ada. I stayed with Gladys and her family when I went to Vancouver for the March, and enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal with them, prepared by her and 2 of her 4 daughters, Sarah & Rachel. We were entertained by the very lovable and very lively Angel, Sarah’s daughter and Gladys’ granddaughter.

Like I said, I am not a hater of the Olympics, I even went downtown Vancouver on Saturday night to take a picture of the 2010 Olympic Torch (that is all I did, I never paid a red cent for anything) and I was very touched as the torch came through Kamloops and Barriere, where one of my daughters live. But things always seem to work in Jessie’s favor. While we were walking around, there were people everywhere. Most were happy to be in Vancouver, celebrating the 2010 Olympics with people from around the world.

You could feel the excitement. I was taking pictures of everything. We talked to people about Jessie; handed out posters; took pictures and even posed for some. We talked to the police that were EVERYWHERE. You could not look 20 steps without seeing another police officer. There were police officers from all over Canada there to help ensure there was enough policing for the Olympics. They were all very kind to us. Listening, asking questions, and most importantly, they took Jessie’s poster and story back to where they came from. That is what this weekend was all about, spreading the word about Jessie.

While we were walking along, one of Gladys’ friends, Trisha called out to her and we went over to where she was with Angel, the beautiful young daughter of Brenda Wolf . . . one of serial killer Robert “Willie” Pickton’s victims, and a Teresa & Kent, a film crew from Nova Scotia who was actually filming a documentary at that time. They interviewed me about Jessie’s case and Bernie about her design for the Walk4Justice emblem. They told me they would let me know when the documentary will be released. I am really looking forward to it. And that is all I could talk about on the way back to Gladys’s place to get some sleep. Not that I got much…it was after 2am before I dozed off and was up by 7:30am.

Gladys and I left her place at 8:00am and took the city bus to the Downtown Eastside Vancouver. One of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada with one of the highest crime rates in our country. There have been dozens of women who simply vanished off the street, some would be found dead . . . murdered by Robert Pickton or some other monster. Sometimes the killer was caught and jailed, many times they were not – some were just never heard from again . . . EVER.

They left behind their families…their children; they left behind their belongings; and they left behind their welfare cheques. No one who needs welfare leaves behind their monthly cheque. Even if the recipient was in jail, the ‘system’ knew where they were. And if they did not get welfare, their friends had a pact; they kept track of each other. They knew for years that something sinister was happening in the DTES Vancouver, but the police and the public either did not believe it or just plain turned their backs to it all.
It was years later that the pig farmer / serial killer, Robert Willie Pickton was arrested and eventually convicted of some of the horrendous crimes . . . some of the horrific murders he committed. There are many more women who’s DNA or some of their belongings were found on Pickton’s farm but he has not yet been charged with their murders, but hopefully one day, he will be.

There are even more women who have never been found. Every single one of these women need justice. Their families need justice so they can try to begin to heal and move on with their lives. Some people call it ‘getting closure’, but to me, the mother of a missing women, I do not really believe that there is closure. I always say that closure is a word used by people who have nothing to close. But I understand completely what they mean. I just call it ‘answers’ or ‘justice’, not ‘closure’.

The day of the March was also Chinese New Year and there was a parade going by a block from where our March was starting – at the Carnegie Community Center. There were firecrackers, floats, and shouts of glee. It was a completely different state of mind from those of us here to remember and honour the women who are victims of crimes, solved and unsolved, missing and murdered. IT WAS THEIR DAY.

We got there as the doors opened at 9a.m. and started to prepare for everything that was to take place. We setup banners on the patio where the media scrum was to take place. There was to be media from around the world. Some were there for the Olympics and took the opportunity to come to our Memorial March.

We set up the room inside where the Ceremony was to be held. There were banners to be put up, chairs to be arranged, flowers to arrange, people to arrange. There were members, families, drummers and speakers at the Ceremony but there was no media allowed inside out of respect for the victims and their families. It was very well organized and everyone knew exactly what they needed to do. Gladys and I did the banners outside. The banners also had to be taken down and carried in the March.

When all was completed the first thing was the media scrum at 11a.m. They were all set up on the patio out front, ready to listen and ask their questions. There were several speakers, some were family members of the media, some were DTES (Downtown Eastside) Workers who used to ‘work’ the streets and now worked with the victims of the same streets. When it was time for Gladys and I to stand before the media, I wore Jessie’s button and held her poster for all to see.

At 12p.m. the Ceremony inside was ready to begin. There were 20 speakers, all introduced by Marlene George. When it was my turn, I realized that my ‘speech’ was missing. I thought I must have lost it, so I talked from my heart. It was better than if I tried to concentrate on a piece of paper and not lose my spot – everything that was making me a bit nervous. So, from my heart I did awesome. As it turned out, I did not lose my speech, it was exactly where I thought it was, I found it when I got home to Kamloops. You can read my written speech at the end of this writing.

I told the room about Jessie. I started off by saying that Jessie’s case was a bit different than others here. That Jessie went missing from North Las Vegas and that she was an international endangered missing woman and the victim of a human trafficking ring and that the Olympics, which had started two days prior was an excellent venue for the trafficking rings and we needed to be aware. We need to always remember JESSIE FOSTER. We need to always remember all victims and never forget about human trafficking.

Then at about 1p.m. we went outside to begin the march, and there were thousands of people waiting. It was so overwhelming to see the amount of support that the 19th Annual Women’s Memorial March was receiving. Gladys had told me, but I was not ready for this many . . . the protest march the day before had about 200 people, so I think I may have been comparing it to that . . . after all, this was my first march and I was not sure what to expect.

As we marched and drummed and sang I was so full of emotion – I was covered with goosebumps. I held up Jessie’s poster as I walked and every time I saw a camera crew from a news source or even people with their personal cameras or phone cameras, I held up Jessie’s poster for them to get a good shot – I was able to get several hundred people to capture Jessie’s picture on their camera.

Every time we reached a place in which a victim we were honouring was last seen, or sadly found the march stopped and a ceremony was held for them. I wish I had of kept track of how many times we stopped and how many women were honoured on the streets of DTES Vancouver, but there were many, many of them. Each time the drummers drummed louder and the singers sung louder and the people prayed harder. There were times that the drumming was so intense that we looked up and saw eagles souring above us. They also came out to honour the victims. Eagles are very spiritual to the Native Culture and this was amazing to witness. It made me cry each time.

During the march I met some of the most amazing people. I would be walking along and someone new would be beside me. We would start to talk and before long we knew of each other’s loved one. One of these people was Suzanne Kilroy, an Indian Princess. She told her of her horrific upbringing and her survival of the DTES as a prostitute and drug addict. She now is support worker who creates support groups for women living the life she was able to escape over 10 months ago. Suzanne’s story, I am sure will inspire you as it did me and it will allow you to understand some of the horrific things that some children have been forced to live through – to survive through – unfortunately the surviving come decades later, after years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. After ending up on the streets as a prostitute and drug addict some of them, the lucky ones do survive. They are the ones who go back and try to help their ‘sisters’ – their friends and family who are still trapped in this lifestyle. “The Story of an Indian Princess” is posted below.

The march ended up at the Japanese Cultural Center at about 4p.m. There we got some delicious food and drink and then we were honoured with more speakers. This too was very emotional as victim after victim took the stage and poured their hearts out. How difficult this must have been for them. How brave they all were. And how proud we all were of each and every one of them.

When this was over, at about 5:30 or 6p.m., Gladys, Mable Todd and I walked to a meeting they had planned to attend after the march, about 10 or 15 blocks away, it felt like more, but it was not. I guess they had not walked enough today – me, I had sore feet, sore shoulders and a sore back – all day I was carrying my laptop bag and my backpack as I was going to take the 8p.m. Greyhound bus back to Kamloops and there would not be time for me to go back to Gladys’ to get it, so I took it with me when we left in the morning. But complaining to my dear friends who in 2008 walked from Vancouver, BC to Ottawa, ON was not something I was willing to do, especially because I was over 20 years younger than dear, sweet Mable. So, I followed them along the streets of DTES as it started to get dark. Funny thing, I was not scared at all – not even nervous.

At about 7:15p.m., Gladys’ daughter Sarah and her granddaughter Angel took me by city bus to the Greyhound station and I was on the bus, heading for home by 8p.m. I took off my shoes and kept them off until we hit Kamloops at 12:35a.m. I was home! It was a whirlwind 2 days, but worth every second of it.
__________________________________________________

This was my speech I wrote for the 19th Annual Women’s Memorial March, but I lost it on the walk and never actually used it....I did it from my heart

My name is Glendene Grant and my daughter, JESSIE FOSTER, is an international endangered missing woman and a human trafficking victim who has been missing since March 29, 2006. My kids all went to my old elementary, junior & secondary schools. They skated at the same arena, went to the same mall . . . the same theater. We are a small town Canadian family with a white picket fence. THIS should NEVER have happened to us.

Jessie was lured to the USA by someone she thought of as a friend, someone she knew since she graduated from high school 3 years prior - he passed her off to a couple in Las Vegas who passed her off to the person we eventually came to think of as her fiancé - but to the police he was a known pimp with a record for spousal abuse. She eventually was living with him in a swanky North Las Vegas house, worth over $750,000. Jessie was kept there for 10 months and when she tried to leave she disappeared. Jessie was in constant communication with her family the entire time. Calling; emailing; text messaging; talking on a computer chat program . . . Jessie never missed a day the entire time she was there. Many times Jessie would call during a very heated fight she was having with her 'fiancé'. She would be yelling; crying; sobbing about something he did to her. But she always said he was not violent and would end the calls telling me not to worry. YA RIGHT. Several times I spoke to him and even tried to convince him that they should break up; that they were not good for each other, but they always ended the calls on a lighter note. But of course, I did not know how serious the situation was there. I just believed that Jessie was engaged to a rich older man and she loved him very much, he did not love her. He brainwashed her; he beat her; and he may have even fed her drugs against her knowledge until she was addicted. We know he did everything else.

Jessie was allowed to come home once during this time. She got to spend a few weeks back home visiting with us in Kamloops, BC and going to Calgary, AB to visit her dad & his family. But it was not a peaceful visit, she was either calling or being called CONSTANTLY on her cell phone or the house phones when she was here or at her dad's. We actually started thinking that she finally saw the light & was not going back to him . . . back to Las Vegas. Jessie was back with us in Kamloops on Christmas Day 2005. We got up in the morning; opened presents; and were talking about going to my dad's place for Christmas dinner. He is an widower who lives a block from us, in the same home I grew up in. But Jessie shocked us all by saying she HAD to leave that day. CHRISTMAS DAY! Without warning, she wanted a ride to the airport as she HAD to get back to Las Vegas that day!

I was heart-broken, her sisters were crushed. Her friends were shocked that Jessie went back. They continued to call for days . . . for weeks, not knowing she even left. None of us will ever forget that day. Taking her to the airport on Christmas . . . the last time any of us ever saw my beautiful daughter. The last time her sisters ever saw their beautiful sister - her older sister has actually said that when she looked at Jessie for the last time before she went through the doorway, she saw a look in her eyes that she never understood - she understood it perfectly when Jessie disappeared - the look said DON'T LET ME GO! It has been hard on her being she is the oldest of four sisters and she never knew her younger sister was in such peril. And it has put a cloud over what should be a wonderful holiday season. If not for my other daughters and grandchildren, I would sleep that day away - but every year, we celebrate Christmas, Jessie's favorite holiday and we celebrate the last time we saw Jessie.

We were again in constant contact with Jessie for the next 3 months until March 28. The last time I spoke to her was March 24. The last time her dad heard from her was on March 27 when Jessie left a voice message on their phone wishing her stepmom a happy birthday and mentioning she was heading off to the dentist to have a wisdom tooth extracted. This is important because after Jessie went missing, her 'fiancé' told us she went to the dentist to have her wisdom tooth extracted on April 3, 2006. He did not know that Jessie already told us when the appointment was. We know that Jessie was already missing by April 3. He actually gave us 3 different stories about what he says was the last day he saw Jessie (Apr 3).

But most importantly, he told us something that told us more than he realized at the time. He said that all Jessie's belongings went missing when she did, except her hairdryer and makeup which were left on the bathroom counter. This spoke volumes . . . Jessie would not have taken everything and left those, very important items. But we know that Jessie had all her belongings packed and she was ready to come back to Canada & meet her older sister in Kamloops and they were to drive her car to Calgary to attend their stepsister's wedding. But Jessie went missing the day after they talked on the phone and made their plans. Her things were packed and her hairdryer & makeup was still on the bathroom counter because she would have planned to use them in the morning after her shower. But if she was taken (against her will) her captors would not have known that and those things would have been left behind. When he told me this, he did not realize the impact it would have on her case!

I reported Jessie missing in North Las Vegas, NV USA where she went missing from and in Kamloops, BC Canada, where she lived and all her belongings were, including her car, still in my backyard all this time. We also hired a PI right away, and he found out Jessie had been beaten & hospitalized. Forced to work at an escort agency. And was arrested two times. Once for 1 count and once for 4 counts of solicitation. Jessie has never been in trouble in her life, before these people took hold of her life. Right away I knew that Jessie was the victim of a human trafficking ring. I knew she did not leave on her own, and I do not feel in my heart, that my daughter is dead.
So where is she? ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

Jessie's case has been investigated by both countries and several human trafficking task forces. ATLAS which was out of Las Vegas at the time Jessie first went missing, and 3 task forces here in Canada - 2 in Alberta and 1 in British Columbia. There are even some human trafficking experts who concur. They have agreed that Jessie's case is a classic case of human trafficking, right from the hubs for human trafficking where Jessie was taken, to her phone bills - 25 to 30 pages in length and $2,500 to $3,000 each month - with calls by the minute to and from the person she was living with.

If you are forced to work in any type of job or situation; if you do not get to chose to leave; if you do not get paid (or paid correctly); if you are battered or bruised by your employer IT IS NOT A JOB. It is human trafficking!

Thank you for your time. For more information please go to www.jessiefoster.ca (not com)! Please do not forget Jessie or any of the missing.
__________________________________________________

This next story is one that I was given at the 19th Annual Women’s Memorial March by a woman I met, Suzanne Kilroy. She had a horrific early childhood but is now, finally in recovery and is helping others.

The Story of an Indian Princess

I was born in 1969 and am the youngest of 14 children. I am a two-spirited aboriginal peer support person of the downtown eastside. I am currently trying to exit sex work.

I started doing sex work when I was 9 years old and charged family friends for money, alchol, and drugs. I threatened to call the police if they didn't give me money, drugs or alcohol.

At first, sexual abuse was forced upon me and then I started noticing my options and what these abusers were in fear of. I started using that to my advantage.

I feel this is where I became a prostitute, at the age of 9. I started sleeping with these guys willingly for certain prices or certain amounts of drugs or alcohol. At the time I didn't drink or use drugs but I could trade the alcohol for money or food.

Over the years I grew up, survived residential school, did some college, trade certificates, ended up in different cities throughout Canada and the United States using my certified skills and my street level skills to the best of my advantage as well as surviving three dysfunctional relationships.

For the past 10 months I've been alone. I'm 42 years of age, I'm a single woman that has been around 20 blocks, using my talents, skills, abilities, gifts, pains and triumphs, struggles and my life experiences to share with my sisters and brothers beside me for them not to feel alone because throughout the years I was too stubborn or afraid to ask for help.

My independence and the fact that I'm two-spirited had many barriers, red-tape, and down-falls. But with organizations like PACE, WISH, the Women's Center, Aboriginal Front-Door, Healing Our Spirit, Sister's in Spirit, and all my sisters and brothers I'm living in a healthier atmosphere today.

I'm able to attend support groups and create support groups and host support groups with the greatest gift of being honest with myself of where I'm am at this time in my life. It helped me heal mentally, spiritually, emotionally, accepting of self.

My gift of words to you or anyone in need of support in any way at all: Find local support networks, challenge yourself to endeavor in the programs and take the risk to learn about the life you never had and the life you want to life.

My name is Suzanne Kilroy. This is a bit of my story. I'm your Indian Princess, proud to share this with you, Kut'stemc.
 
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