Help Find Jaqui and Bring Her Home, Safe
Donation protected
Thank you for the outpouring of support we have received in our search for Jaqui. We are devastated to report that her body was found [on October 8th] after exhaustive searches by the B.C. Search and Rescue teams.
Our hearts are forever shattered. Please respect our privacy as we learn how to live in a world without her. Please keep her in your hearts.
- Kathy Kitsemetry, dear friend of the family
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She was our daughter.
She was our sister.
She was our friend.
She was stubborn and funny and creative and passionate and full of joy. She was a beacon that shined out to the world and pulled people close. She believed in goodness and kindness of humans above everything else. She was light.
Honour her by bringing light and joy and kindness to this world.
Honour her by seeing the goodness in people and the beauty in life.
Honour her with love and laughter.
- Jaqui’s Mom, Nathalie
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On behalf of the family of Jaqui McDermott:
We know that Jaqui had many beloved friends in B.C. in the tree planting, skateboarding, and tattoo art community... plus everyone she met along her journeys. Her smile was infectous and she touched everyone who knew her. We know how much she loved her time here, and we will provide a date and location to honour her memory in the Vancouver area over the next week.
For friends and family of Jaqui in Ontario, there will be a formal memorial service at a later date. Details will be provided in this site, and we invite you to forward to anyone who may not have access to social media.
The outpouring of love and support had been overwhelming and much appreciated. The photos and stories of Jaqui have provided so much comfort and will help with the long road ahead to healing.
The remaining funds of the generous donations to the GoFundMe account will be donated by the family to the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association. We wish to thank each and every person from the various teams across B.C. that assisted with the search and will be forever grateful.
NDS or Nice Day Shining as Jaqui would say.
- Kathy Kitsemetry, dear friend of the family
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“Every time you close your eyes, you go down a rabbit hole that you don’t want to go down... Basically disappeared without a trace. It’s unbelievable. It’s crazy.” - Jaqui's Mom, Nathalie
On September 30, 2022, our cherished Jaqui went missing.
On September 30th, Jaqueline (Jaqui) McDermott left a yoga retreat. Her vehicle was later found, broken down, on Highway 97C between Merritt and Logan Lake, British Columbia. All of Jaqui's belongings were left with her van. Local community members recall seeing Jaqui around her vehicle.
RCMP Air Services, Police Dog Services, and Search & Rescue conducted an extensive search on land and in the air, and no sign of Jaqui has been found.
Understandably, Jaqui's parents want to be in British Columbia, to support the search effort, and be there when Jaqui is found. Jaqui's parents also want to be able to potentially support additional search and investigation efforts. This means substantial costs, including air travel, hotel, meals, poster supplies, volunteer supplies, potential investigator costs, etc.
Please help Jaqui's parents find Jaqui and bring her home safely. No parent should ever go through this alone. Please support today, what you can.
If you have information which may help locate Jaqui, including video surveillance or dash camera footage from that area, please contact the Merritt RCMP Detachment at [phone redacted].
Merritt RCMP
2999 Voght St
Merritt, BC V1K 1G9
(This GoFundMe is set up by Christine McDermott, Jaqui's paternal aunt, for sole and exclusive benefit of Jaqui's parents.)
Organizer and beneficiary
Christine Ashton Mcdermott
Organizer
Waterloo, ON
Nathalie St Maurice
Beneficiary