Family members are mourning the loss of a mother and her young daughter found dead in their home last weekend.
Nichelle Renae George, 31, of Oneida Nation of the Thames was found dead along with her 11-month-old daughter, Yelihwakweniyo Ashley Nichelle George, in a townhouse complex on Boulee Street last Saturday.
London police have not released any further details as they continue to investigate the cause of death.
“We continue to assist the coroner with their investigation,” Const. Sandasha Bough wrote in an email.
Police haven’t confirmed the identity of the deceased individuals, but Global News has confirmed George and her daughter’s death through family members.
“They were beautiful, their spirits are beautiful, and that’s what we’re going to hang on to and remember,” said Ashley Doxtator, George’s first cousin who described their relationship as closer to sisters, having both been raised by George’s mother.
“She was seeking support to be in a better mental and emotional situation,” she said, adding that George had moved to London to be closer to needed services as she was dealing with various health concerns. “But she was a down-to-earth mom who loved her family wholeheartedly.”
According to Doxtator, George is survived by four children, a two-year-old daughter, a five-year-old daughter, a seven-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old son, who had been living at their grandmother’s.
In light of George’s death, Doxtator said that “Nichelle leaves a piece of her goodness with us in her children,” saying that to look at them reminds her of her sister in “all her different stages of life.”
“We were nine years apart, but we always got to be a part of each other’s lives and our children’s lives as well,” she said.
“You always need your mom,” Doxtator continued. “You don’t anticipate these things where you’re going to be without a parent, but I also let the kids know that traditionally, in our culture, when you lose a parent, you have aunts that will step in for you. And I am that for my nieces and nephews.”
A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles, children’s drawings and stuffed teddy bears can be seen on the front steps of 416 Boulee St.
The funeral was held Thursday morning at the Homestead on Oneida Nation of the Thames.
“Being First Nations, we have different beliefs and traditions. Even in death, it’s a celebration of life,” Doxtator said. “We do not know how much time we have here, so we always want to treat each other good and to never have those regrets for when that time comes when we have to go home.
“It’s very sad and it’s disheartening to know when somebody leaves and in the way in which they leave this place or realm or earth, but spiritually, we believe you live on, and she will come visit us in our dreams,” she added.
Highlighting George’s passion for art, Doxtator said that “her beauty and her creativity will shine on within the pieces that she created in her beadwork.”
“People have reached out and said that they have a little piece of Nichelle with her art, and I said, ‘Yeah, you know what? We will always have a piece of her here with us.’”
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