Glen Grier, of Stony Plain, Alta., needed to ship his son a birthday message. Scott Grier, 36, was dwelling on the streets in Victoria, BC, and his father hadn’t heard from him in a very long time.
He made a discovery that’s maybe a mother or father’s worst worry: discovering out via a Google search final week that his little one had died — and it had been for the previous eight months.
“It bought me considering, no person notified me, so possibly it is not him, possibly it is any person else,” Grier stated.
“Issues begin going via your head.”
Scott had a tough life. He struggled with addictions and skilled homelessness. He moved from Edmonton to Victoria in 2019, however checked in with household each few months.
Grier stated Scott did not at all times have a telephone, so household generally had bother reaching him and waited for Scott to contact them.
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Final week, Grier famous it had been too lengthy since he final heard from his son. He needed to name so Scott might discuss to his seven-year-old daughter, who’s in Grier and his spouse Michelle’s care.
Grier, who turned overcome with emotion at occasions when he spoke to International Information, described his son as a free-spirited and fun-loving particular person.
“He was an exquisite little one, very completely satisfied, filled with power. Very loving.”
On Jan. 18 — Scott’s birthday — Grier searched his son’s identify on-line, as he had performed earlier than when making an attempt to make contact.
“Upstairs was the lacking individuals (report) we did in 2020, the place they efficiently discovered him … and proper under that’s his obituary,” Grier stated.
Grier stated the submit was clean apart from a reputation, date of beginning and that Scott died on Could 16, 2022.
Chatting with police, the coroner and undertaker the following day, Grier came upon fingerprints confirmed it was his son, who had been cremated and buried in Victoria’s Hatley Memorial Gardens cemetery eight months earlier.
Grier stated no try has been made to contact Scott’s household.
When an individual with no fastened tackle dies in BC, the Public and Guardian Belief (PGT) is notified.
If the deceased was beneath the age of 65 and obtained advantages from BC’s Ministry of Social Improvement and Poverty Discount (MSDPR), that ministry handles the particular person’s funeral preparations.
For individuals who weren’t an MSDPR consumer, the PGT stated it determines whether or not the deceased has sufficient belongings to pay for funeral prices and PGT charges. If the particular person didn’t have sufficient belongings, PGT is not going to search extensively for subsequent of kin.
In line with a spokesperson for the MSDPR, the coroner in Victoria contacted the PGT about Scott’s demise, who decided there was no property to handle, so the ministry took over and paid to have Scott cremated and his ashes buried.
The funeral dwelling posted Scott’s obituary on-line as a courtesy, hoping a member of the family would come throughout it. They aren’t legally required to take action.
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Grier filed a lacking individuals report with Victoria Police for Scott in 2020, and Scott’s full identify and birthday had been on the demise discover web page.
Since authorities knew Scott’s identification, Grier stated the ministry should not have regarded too exhausting if it could not join him to his son.
“They may have simply requested the Victoria Police Division as a result of I used to be the one who filed the lacking individuals report. They’ve my identify and my quantity,” he stated.
“How did they’ve his actual identify and his actual birthday for them to place up (the obituary)? Somebody needed to know one thing.”
Grier stated he understands there are homeless folks whose subsequent of kin are tough or inconceivable to search out, however that was not the case right here.
“Are they not placing within the effort? I do not perceive why.”
Grier stated he thought it solely occurred to his household, however stated he began listening to from different those that’s how in addition they came upon in regards to the deaths of family members.
Now he and his spouse are warning different households that they could have to test on-line in the event that they have not heard from a beloved one shortly.
“If you happen to miss somebody, possibly Google them, as bizarre because it sounds,” Michelle stated.
Glen and Michelle Grier of Stony Plain, Alta., say they weren’t notified when their son, Scott, died in Victoria in Could 2022.
International Information
Though he’s left with a lot ache and plenty of questions, Grier hopes that sharing his expertise will result in change.
He’s talking out within the hope that different households is not going to discover out a few beloved one’s demise in the identical approach.
“You do not wish to see that occur to different folks.
“It is such a tough approach.”
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