The family and friends of a couple who were found dead near Summerland, B.C. last month, are speaking out and hoping for answers.
On Sept. 15, the bodies of Douglas (Doug) Barker and Alannah Brown, both 30, were found on a paved road just outside of the rear gates to the Summerland Research Centre.
Isabelle Dery were some of the last to see Barker, her uncle, alive.
“Before he died, he said, ‘I love you guys so much,’” said Isabelle.
According to the girls’ mom, Brittany Harris, they last saw Barker and his girlfriend Brown on Sept. 11, when he stopped by their home.
“He came over talking to us, he said he needed a bed and he wanted to get a job. So, we had an extra bed, and he was supposed to come back within a few days. He never showed up. He never dropped off the resume that he said,” said Harris.
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The family filed a missing persons report and began a fervent campaign looking for Barker. However, days later, his body was found.
The Summerland Fire Department initially responded to reports of a small fire in the area. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered the two bodies before notifying police.
“It’s been really tough since he’s been gone. Watching my girls cry every night, it’s really tough to watch,” said Harris.
“We ended up saying our goodbyes to him yesterday. He was my best friend he would do anything for us.”
BC’s RCMP Serious Crime Unit continues to investigate both deaths, however the family says they’ve been kept in the dark, and just want answers.
“Honestly his next of kin hasn’t heard really anything. Like we know nothing about what’s going on now. At the beginning, they kept in touch with us a little bit and then it’s just like they just vanished,” said Harris.
“I just want justice. I want to find out what happened. I want to be able to lay him to rest peacefully. He didn’t deserve this and neither did Alannah.”
A statement from Brown’s friend remembers Alannah as a “kind, loving soul.”
“Alannah was a shining star and will be truly missed by so many and 100 percent did not deserve what happened to her.”
Meanwhile, Isabelle and her sister Neveah Dery remember Barker as the “best uncle in the world.”
“He was a really, really nice person, He was an outgoing person. He always liked to smile and every time I got hurt, he would always give me his shirt and dab it,” said Neveah.
“I’ve been a bit measurable on the past couple of weeks, sad he’s gone.”
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Her sister Isabelle went on to say that she enjoyed singing with Doug and playing tag.
“He was like, one of the best uncles we got. It’s kind of sad when he passed away,” said Isabelle.
RCMP have not shared if there are any suspects and a possible motive at this time is unknown.
Global News did reach out to RCMP for more information, but they did not respond to our request for an interview.
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