Christine Wood reached her final resting place in her home community Oxford House on Saturday as friends and family gathered to say goodbye.
Close to 200 people attended an emotional service in the elementary school where Wood went as a child.
“It was very moving and very heartbreaking to see the community in such pain, but it was also very beautiful to see her friends and her family remember her in such a beautiful way,” said Sheila North Wilson, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak grand chief.
Wood’s parents hugged her casket, which was closed, and people shared stories about the smart, loving woman they had lost, North Wilson said. Wood’s parents, George and Melinda, have been strong and appreciate the show of support, she said.
(Source: Sheila North Wilson/Facebook)
After the ceremony, members of the community helped to lay Wood’s casket into the ground and shovel the dirt over her casket.
Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth and Sgt. Shauna Neufeld of the Missing Persons Unit were also in attendance, along with Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Derek Nepinak and Southern Chiefs Organization Grand Chief Jerry Daniels.
Smyth spoke at the service and later picked up a shovel to help bury Wood’s casket.
(Source: Sheila North Wilson/Facebook)
“I think it shows the reconciliation between indigenous people and police are building and getting stronger and I think that it was very respectful and caring for him to do that,” said North Wilson.
The Winnipeg Police Service released a statement from Smyth on Sunday:
Wood’s body was found buried in a field on June 1, more than nine months after she went missing while in Winnipeg with her family in August 2016.
Brett Ronald Overby is charged with second-degree murder in her death.
READ MORE: Judge denies bail for man accused in Christine Wood killing
Having the Winnipeg police represented at the service helps build trust between the community, something that is needed to help solve other cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, North Wilson said.
“I met the people of Oxford House (Saturday) at Christine Wood’s funeral. It was raw; it was real; it was painful. I was honoured to be with you and support you in your time of grief. Thank-you George and Melinda for sharing. Be strong Bunibonibee!”
The healing process has begun, North Wilson said, and with Christine laid to rest, people in the community have a sense of closure “knowing that she’s not alone somewhere and she’s not suffering somewhere.”
