Justin Walsh stood in the doorway of his mother's home on May 16, looking stunned and picking at the broken door frame from when police kicked it in.
It was the first time he had stepped foot on the West Kelowna property, where his mom Cindy Walsh lived, since RCMP found her dead inside the home.
"She was a good mom... She worked really hard when I was a kid," Walsh said still letting reality sink in.
Cindy, 57, was found dead in her home at Westview Village Mobile Home Community following a wellness check on May 3. RCMP have ruled her death suspicious and an investigation is underway.
The wellness check was called in by Cindy's brother Mike Lind after the family hadn't heard from the sister and mom for more than a week. One of Cindy's neighbours also told Lind there had been no activity at Cindy's home.
"Nobody had seen anybody here," Lind said. It was noted that Cindy's boyfriend Michael Hopkins was at times living at the property and also had not been seen. Walsh and Lind said the family has not heard from Hopkins, nor do they want to. Black Press has reached out to RCMP to determine if Hopkins is considered missing, or if police have spoken to him in regards to Cindy's death.
"She's a beautiful person and her life was taken in a terrible way," Lind said while fighting back tears. "She was a genuine person and she really cared about everybody."
Cindy was a mom of two and chose to pursue a career in nursing. Her caregiving spirit led her from Castlegar to West Kelowna about six years ago to move in with and take care of her ill parents.
"She had the biggest heart you could imagine in this world," Lind said of his sister. "Now, somebody has taken that away... and hopefully we'll find out what happened to her."
The Southeast District Major Crimes Unit of the BC RCMP has taken on the investigation. A cause of death has not been released.
Walsh and Lind both feel confident the RCMP are working on finding answers.
The family is pleading with members of the public to come forward with any information that could be helpful in the investigation to contact the Southeast District Major Crime Unit Information Line at 1-877-987-8477.
