Family and Friends Desperate for Answers after Discovery of Deceased Alberta Resident Ericka Saunders

Accident – death – Obituary News : The Disappearance and Tragic Discovery of Ericka Saunders Leaves Friends and Family Desperate for Answers

The last time anyone heard from 40-year-old Ericka Saunders, a resident of Alberta, was back in March 2022. Since then, her friends and family have been actively searching for her, hoping for her safe return. However, their hopes were dashed when Durham Regional Police made a heartbreaking discovery last week on November 28 in Bowmanville, Ontario.

While searching for a missing person in the area of Simpson Avenue and Baseline Road, officers came across human remains. An autopsy was performed, and the victim was identified as Ericka Saunders. The news has left her loved ones devastated and desperate for answers.

“The last time anyone heard anything from her was March this year,” said Kane Blacque, a close friend of Saunders. The circumstances surrounding Saunders’ death remain unknown, and her family and friends are eager to understand what led her to the Bowmanville area and the wooded area where her remains were found.

Durham Regional Police have stated that, at this point in the investigation, they are considering the incident non-suspicious. Sergeant Joanne Bortoluss, with Durham Regional Police, explained, “There’s nothing that shows a criminal element to her death, which puts us in the category of deeming it as not suspicious. However, that can change as the investigation moves forward.”

While the police have classified Saunders’ death as non-suspicious, her family and friends back home in Alberta believe there is more to the story. “We don’t know any information,” said her sister-in-law Jennifer Saunders, as she and Ericka’s father, Elwood Saunders, spoke with Global News over a virtual call from their home in Fort McMurray, where Ericka was born.

Jennifer continued, “Did she have a wallet? Did she have a cellphone? Because for it to be stated that there was no suspicious activity, it just seemed strange to me that someone that has a fear of spiders and bugs and everything would just go wander off into the wilderness by themselves. That makes zero sense to me.”

Her family is struggling with the unanswered questions surrounding her disappearance and subsequent death. “I was expecting something, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t expecting this,” said Elwood Saunders. “Because that’s not the nature of Ericka, of what happened. As simple as that.”

Described as outgoing, bubbly, and a good friend, Ericka’s father said she would always reach out and check in, no matter where she was. The worry set in when she stopped contacting them. “But when she went to Toronto, it seemed like all contact was gone,” he said.

Ericka had a history of struggling with addiction, but she always surrounded herself with people. “Anyone who knew Ericka as well as I did or her parents did knew that Ericka was always in a relationship,” said Kane Blacque. “Whether she was clean or not clean, she would have been in a relationship.”

Blacque is hoping someone from Ontario recognizes Ericka and can provide answers. “If she was in Ontario, she would have had someone looking out for her and with her. Ericka is also not a woodsy type of person,” he said, expressing his confusion about why she was found alone in the woods.

Ericka leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter who currently lives with her father in Alberta. However, Ericka was known to travel to Kelowna, Penticton, Edmonton, and Toronto.

The investigation into Ericka Saunders’ death is ongoing, and Durham Regional Police are urging the public to come forward with any new information. They are also seeking anyone who may have recognized Ericka or saw anything in the days, weeks, or months leading up to her discovery.

“I need to know what happened to her,” said Kane Blacque. “I’m sure her parents desperately want to know what happened. We miss her, we love her, we just want her to come back.”

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