Aimee Chalifoux took a quiet moment Friday, to honour her murdered friend Amy Watts in the ravine where her body was found one year ago to the day.
“She had her whole life ahead of her. She was a great outreach worker, she was a great person, she was a great friend,” said Aimee Chalifoux, who worked in outreach alongside Watts for years.
The beautiful, young Watts’ now-fading picture is perched at the downtown Nanaimo spot where her body was found on June 3, 2021.
“I miss her and there’s just this hole and there’s no answers,” said Chalifoux.
“It’s a nightmare and the streets of Nanaimo aren’t safe. You’re not safe anymore,” said Watts’ mother Janice Coady.
The murder of the former outreach worker — who also made the Dean’s list at VIU and helped countless people get clean with her lived recovery as an addict — is still unsolved 12 months later.
“She was such a beautiful soul and she just loved to help people,” said Coady.
The 27-year-old’s family says she relapsed into addiction during COVID-19 when she was laid off and claims she died being prostituted against her will.
“The suspect who did this is still out there on the streets somewhere,” said Coady.
According to Nanaimo RCMP, Amy Watts’ murder is an open and active investigation, but police have refused to offer an update.
“It’s a year to the date and they’re still waiting for forensics to come back,” said Coady.
“We’ll always pray for justice to be done,” said Chalifoux.
Anyone with information on the murder of Amy Watts is urged to contact Nanaimo RCMP.
Skye Ryan
