Whitehorse RCMP are treating the death of two women as homicides after they were found at a residence in the McIntyre subdivision last week.
Wendy Carlick, 51, and Sarah Macintosh, 53, were found dead April 19, police say.
Macintosh was a member of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.
Carlick’s death comes a few weeks from the 10-year anniversary of her own daughter’s disappearance.
Angel Carlick was last seen May 27, 2007. Her body was found in November that year but the murder has never been solved.
In 2010 Wendy talked to the News about her life since the loss of her daughter.
“After I lost my daughter, everything changed. I drink more every day. Music really hurts me because I think about Angel every day,” Wendy said at the time.
Originally from Good Hope Lake, B.C., Wendy moved to Whitehorse in March 2004. After being evicted from the home she rented, her family split up with her son going into government care and Angel living with friends. Wendy ended up living on the street with her partner for several years.
“Yeah, sometimes now we watch those Survivor shows and laugh. It’s so silly compared to what we’ve survived. But if a guy hurts us, the men on the street go beat him up. They protect us,” she told the News in 2010.
“At first when I moved to Whitehorse, some girls tried to beat me up because they were jealous. But after a while they know who’s who and we all got along. Sometimes when people are drunk they call me down (for being a lesbian), but when they sober up they apologize. What else can you do? We’re friends.”
The national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is set to begin in a little more than a month in Whitehorse.
At that time survivors and families will be able to share their stories.
A 2014 RCMP report found there were 1,184 reported cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada between 1980 and 2012. There are 39 cases listed in the Yukon.
Support available
The Kwanlin Dun First Nation says there is support available for friends and family in the community.
Outreach counselors can be reached at 867-336-0854
“This is a difficult time for grieving family members and the community,” said Gina Nagano, KDFN’s acting justice director, in a statement. “A sacred fire was lit on Wednesday for the community to gather and talk with support workers. All residents are encouraged to reach out for the support they may need.”
RCMP say there is no “identified risk” to the public.
For more on this story see Wednesday's edition of the Yukon News.
Contact Pierre Chauvin at pierre.chauvin@yukon-news.com