Chantelle Williams was a teenager who loved to walk the sand of Pachena Bay, recalls her aunt, reflecting on the 18-year-old who died on the streets of Port Alberni during a cold night in January.
“She’d walk to the beach by herself and just get time alone there. She’d come back happy,” said Shannon Nookemus.
“She liked crafts,” she continued, reflecting on the short life of her niece. “She had this shawl that she wanted to work on for a long time. She just finished school a few months ago. She was a good girl.”
Williams was found by a passerby in the early morning hours of Jan. 28, unresponsive on the 4900 block of Ian Avenue in Port Alberni. Shortly after 5 a.m. she was transported by ambulance to hospital in critical condition. She was pronounced dead later that day.
Since that tragic morning Williams’ family have been haunted by unanswered questions around her death. Now this is in the hands of the coroner, in an investigation with no anticipated end date.
“The death of Chantelle Williams is currently under active investigation,” stated the BC Coroners Service in an email to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “Cause and manner of death are established by the coroner at the conclusion of their investigation, and we cannot speculate about their investigative findings until the process concludes and the coroner’s report is finalized.”
At the time of her death Williams was under the guardianship of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Child and Family Services, and living in a group home run by the Inside Out Care Corporation.
Usma is part of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and NTC President Judith Sayers sympathizes with family members who feel left in the dark regarding what caused the 18-year-old’s passing.
“Nobody knows what happened that night yet,” said Sayers. “I feel really awful; it’s just tragic. We’ve had too much trauma in our communities already.”
“Everything possible is being done to find out what went on,” she added. “We’re doing everything we can as Usma.”
Usma is a delegated Aboriginal agency that provides child welfare services on behalf of the provincial ministry. B.C. Minister of Children and Families Jodie Wickens said strong privacy provisions prohibit the government and agencies from sharing information related to children in care.
“What I can say is that when a child or youth dies in care my expectation as the minister and as a mother is that we get to the truth regarding the ministry’s or Indigenous child and family service agency’s involvement to examine practice and learn from the circumstances,” said Wickens in a statement. “If a child or youth dies while in care of the ministry or an Indigenous child and family service agency, a practice review is always undertaken. If the review identifies areas that require improvement, the ministry develops an action plan to address those areas to strengthen practice, policy and services.”
Jennifer Charlesworth, B.C.’s representative for children and youth, is also undertaking a review of the case. She plans to visit Port Alberni in late April with her team to speak with service providers that were involved with Williams.
“We have undertaken an initial review, gathered documentation and spoke with leaders with the agency and the tribal council to both express our condolences for their tragic loss and to learn more about the circumstances surrounding this young person’s life, and death,” said Charlesworth in a statement sent to Ha-Shilth-Sa. “Our aim is to learn more about the challenges facing the community, share patterns that we have discerned within our mandated work and explore ways to better wrap around and support young people who are struggling.”
Nookemus said that at one point in 2021 Williams was coming out of a treatment centre for alcohol. The aunt tried to take the 14-year-old into her care while she was living in Anacla. Nookemus says she tried to keep the teen at home and sober, but Williams kept taking off to stay with friends.
“I didn’t know where she was. It didn’t work out. We got in an argument and went our separate ways. She went back to the group home,” said Nookemus.
The aunt said that alcoholism and addiction issues are prevalent in Williams’ family. She doesn’t believe the teenager should have been able to decide where she would live.
“I think you should be able to make the decision for a child that is 14-years-old. That’s my opinion,” said Nookemus. “I tried with Chantelle and I’m really sorry that it didn’t work out. She did apologize for the argument that we had. She reached out and said, ‘Let’s go for a walk some time’.”
One of the last times she saw Williams was about eight months ago over a meal at Port Alberni’s Dairy Queen with her grandfather.
“I said as sort of a joke, ‘You should come live with me again’,” recalls Nookemus, adding that her niece had a black eye and a big cut on her nose at the time. “She didn’t want to. She was too far gone.”
Williams is survived by her two older brothers and a younger sister who live in Pachena.
"It's heartbreaking to hear about the loss of Chantelle Williams. My thoughts are with the family, and I truly hope they find the answers they need for healing during this incredibly difficult time,” said Huu-ay-aht Chief Councillor John Jack. “As a community, it's vital that we come together to support one another, and reflect on this tragedy, with a collective commitment to minimize the risks of something similar happening again.”
