Father of the late Elijah-lain Beauregard, a 16-year-old teenager who was fatally stabbed in June, said he believes RCMP are going to “sweep (Eli’s investigation) under the rug.”
Robyn Beauregard, who is now back at his home in Calgary, said healing has been difficult, mainly because there are still many questions that have yet to be answered.
“I think (RCMP) is not making Eli’s case a priority,” Beauregard said. “And I fear it’s because he was living on the streets.”
According to Beauregard, Eli lived on the streets by choice. After a stint of living with his mother and travelling across Canada with his father, he decided he wanted to be on the streets.
READ MORE: The life of Eli’s father: How a youth stab-victim ended up on the streets
Eli had a bed at the Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs but seldom spent the night there.
Because he was living on the streets, Eli’s family faced challenges with the Ministry of Children and Family Development. According to Beauregard, the ministry would not pay for the teen’s funeral because he was not living with his parents or in the government system at the time of his death.
Now, Beauregard fears his son’s street status may affect the investigation into his death.
READ MORE: Eli to be remembered by bridging the gap between Kelowna’s communities
RCMP media relations officer, Jesse O’Donaghey, said police are committed to solving the case.
“Homicide investigators are always determined to identify the person(s) responsible for anyone’s death, and bring them to justice, regardless of the victim’s life circumstances leading up to their passing,” O’Donaghey said.
According to O’Donaghey, Eli, like others experiencing homelessness, interacted with RCMP and Bylaw officers and his death hurt those who knew him personally.
“Many of our front line officers who knew Elijah, and in some cases were on a first name basis, were impacted by his death,” O’Donaghey said.
Kelowna RCMP Serious Crime Unit (SCU) continues to work on the case, stating that providing an accurate timeline for the completion of their investigation is difficult. Until then, Beauregard and the rest of Eli’s family and friends will have to wait.
“It just makes it all the more difficult to heal from this tragedy,” Beauregard said.
Anyone with any information that may help RCMP investigators is asked to contact the SCU at 250-762-3300.
READ MORE: Eli’s death remains unanswered: RCMP are still investigating
David Venn Reporter, Kelowna Capital News Email me at david.venn@kelownacapnews.com Follow us on Facebook | Twitter
