Glen Grier, from rocky ground, Alta., wanted to send a birthday message to his son. Scott Grier, 36, Victoria, BC I was living on the streets, and my father hadn’t heard from him in a while.
She made a discovery that is probably a parent’s worst fear: finding out via a Google search last week that her child was dead — and has been for the past eight months.
Grier said, “It got me thinking, nobody informed me so maybe it’s not him, maybe it’s someone else.”
“Things start going over your head.”
Scott had a tough life. He struggled with addictions and experienced homelessness. He moved from Edmonton to Victoria in 2019, but continues to check-in with family every few months.
Grier said that Scott did not always have a phone, so the family sometimes had difficulty reaching him and would wait for Scott to contact them.
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Last week, Grier noted that it had been a long time since he last heard from his son. He wanted to make the call so Scott could speak to his seven-year-old daughter, who is in the care of Grier and his wife, Michelle.
Grier, who at times became overwhelmed with emotion when speaking with Global News, described her son as a free spirit and fun-loving person.
“He was a wonderful kid, very happy, full of energy. Very loving.”
January 18 – Scott’s birthday – Grier searches for her son’s name online, just as she had done when trying to make contact earlier.
“At the top was the Missing Persons (report) that we did in 2020, where they successfully located her … and just below that is her obituary,” Grier said.
Grier said the posting was blank except for a name, date of birth, and that Scott had died on May 16, 2022.
Talking to police, the coroner and the funeral home the next day, Grier learned that the fingerprints confirmed it was his son, who had been cremated and buried at Hatley Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Victoria eight months earlier. Was.
Grier said no effort was made to contact Scott’s family.
When someone with a certain address dies in BC, the Public Guardian and Trustee (PGT) is notified.
If the deceased was under the age of 65 and receiving benefits from BC’s Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR), that ministry is responsible for arranging the person’s funeral.
For those who were not MSDPR subscribers, the PGT said it determined whether the deceased had sufficient assets to pay for funeral costs and the PGT fee. If the person does not have substantial assets, the PGT will not conduct an extensive search for the next of kin.
According to a spokesperson for the MSDPR, the coroner in Victoria contacted the PGT about Scott’s death, who determined there was no property to manage, so the ministry took over and arranged for Scott to be cremated and his ashes distributed. paid for the burial.
crematorium Scott’s obituary has been posted online as a courtesy., in the hope that a family member will come across it. They are not legally required to do so.
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Filed by Grier Missing Person Report for Scott in 2020 to Victoria PoliceAnd Scott’s full name and birthday were on the obituary page.
Since the authorities knew Scott’s identity, Grier said that if the ministry could not connect him to his son, it should not have found it too difficult.
“They could just ask the Victoria Police Department because I was the one who filed the missing person report. They have my name and my number,” he said.
“How did they have his proper name and his proper birthday to put on[the obituary]? Somebody had to know something.”
Grier said he understands that there are homeless people for whom it is difficult or impossible to find relatives, but that was not the case here.
“Don’t they put effort into it? I don’t understand why.
Grier said she thought it only happened to her family, but said she began hearing from other people about how they found out about the deaths of their loved ones as well.
Now, he and his wife are warning other families that if they haven’t heard from a loved one in a while they may need to look online.
Michelle said, “If you’re missing someone, maybe just Google them, as weird as it sounds.”
Glenn and Michelle Grier of Stony Plain, Alta., say they were not informed when their son Scott died in Victoria in May 2022.
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Even though he’s left with a lot of pain and many questions, Grier hopes that sharing his experience will help create change.
He’s speaking out in hopes that other families won’t learn of the death of a loved one in the same way.
“You don’t want to see it with other people.
“It’s such a hard way.”
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