The funeral for Makayla Chang is being held Wednesday. Skye Ryan has more.
Hundreds are expected to gather in Nanaimo Wednesday to say goodbye to 16-year-old Makayla Chang.
Her funeral comes weeks after RCMP announced the 2-month long search for the teen was over because she had been found and was the victim of a homicide.
Family and friends of Makayla Chang are mustering their strength ahead of her funeral, after a tragic end to the search for the missing teen.
“I am still having difficulties taking it in that she’s gone,” close friend April Schneider said.
Those affected by the tragedy will get a chance to say goodbye on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Nanaimo’s Sands Funeral Chapel
“I’m hoping a lot of people will show up for her and actually get to say their goodbyes in a lot of ways,” Schneider said.
Nanaimo’s mayor will be attending on behalf of the city.
“Just to hold our hands together,” Mayor Bill McKay said.
“To give the family the support they need right now is what’s most important.”
The two-month long search for the missing 16-year-old ended May 18 with Nanaimo RCMP announcing they had recovered her body and were treating it as a homicide.
“It’s so tragic that a life is taken at such an early age by people that need to be caught,” McKay said.
“People that need to be incarcerated, by people that we need to get off our streets.”
No arrests have been made in Makayla Chang’s homicide and RCMP are offering no updates on the case. McKay said there’s a good reason for officers to hold back on releasing information.
“In the middle of an investigation such as this they have to ensure they are constantly looking for witnesses looking for any more information,” McKay said.
“They certainly don’t want the wrong information to go out there. They only want to talk to people that can specifically help them with this.”
Skye Ryan
