Originally Posted by otto
The business is closed, the house is sold, the house contents were liquidated during a three day estate sale, and, in terms of expenses, there are no funeral expenses at this time because there are no bodies. The final bills (phone, gas, etc.) have to be paid for the month of July. The family wants to put the house contents in storage, but that isn't a necessary expense given that the owners are deceased. What expenses might there be that I'm not able to anticipate?
The effects of a homicide are not limited in their impact to the primary victims, the deceased. The effects on the secondary victims of homicides are, IMO, numerous, and the costs can be enormous. Just reminding you that this is being treated by LE as a triple homicide. And every member of that family is going to feel the effects of that violence more than three times over. It's not a cut-and-dried situation, and expenses involved may vary widely from what I suspect may be involved. Also, I'm using the term "family" to refer to an extended family that includes several nuclear families related to each other through AL and KL. Therefore expenses will vary from nuclear family to nuclear family within the Likne/O'Brien/Prevost extended family.
Even though employers may be sympathetic, they cannot continue indefinitely to pay wages to people who are not capable of working (loss of focus, nervous tension, etc.) or who cannot be present to perform the work for which they were hired. In some cases, with some companies, it may be possible to arrange for a leave of absence, hopefully with pay. Lost wages could certainly have an impact on every family within the extended Liknes/O'Brien family. This will vary from nuclear family to nuclear family.
Just a side note. We have no idea how much money any particular family may have in terms of liquid assets. I would suspect that most of the nuclear families are not in the upper levels of earning power that apply in really big oil companies. The $100,000 mentioned as a potential reward is probably what could be raised by all adult members of the extended family together on short notice. Since LE put a stop to that pretty quickly, and no ransom note was received (
http://www.scoopnest.com/user/Metro_Nolais/tag/yyc/), the sources of that money, and the choice of that amount, will likely not be known for some time, if ever.
The assumption that this is a rich family and therefore does not need help seems a pretty far leap. First, given the description of Alvin as "a likeable problem-solver — a man known for being creative and affable, but long unlucky in business" doesn't really seem the description you'd give of a man who was successful and rich. (
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/0...glas-garland-over-patent-calgary-family-says/) He had declared bankruptcy. His wife, Kathryn, had declared bankruptcy. His business was bankrupt days before the disappearance. He didn't own the house he and his wife lived in. They were leasing it. As for the house in Edmonton, I'm not sure that the sale was finalized. We don't know the conditions of the mortgage or if there was a mortgage. The Edmonton property and the Mexican property may have to be sold to meet the demands of the will, and, if so, there will be advertising costs, and other costs associated with such real estate transactions.
Speaking of the house AL and KL had been leasing, it has to be cleaned and restored and that expense should be repaid from the Liknes estate if there is enough money in the estate. BTW, we have no idea the amount of money in that estate. IIRC, the person leasing the house has to leave it in good order or pay the costs of cleaning and restoration. And this has to be done now. "Removing the evidence of a violent death is the responsibility of the victim's family." (
http://science.howstuffworks.com/crime-scene-clean-up.htm) And that doesn't mean Molly Maids. "But crime or not, mopping up after a traumatic death is not only a potentially horrific task. It also requires a significant amount of training and special knowledge to complete properly, and companies charge hundreds of dollars an hour for their service. Most people, though, would pay even more. The job is hazardous, grueling and not for the faint-of-heart. Or stomach." Given the speculations about the condition of the home when JO found it, I think it's safe to say that this will be a significant expense for the families since the estate will not be able to repay them until will is read.
In settling an estate following someone's death, many families hire a lawyer who specializes in wills, etc. In this case, because there are so many people involved, and emotions are going to be running high, hiring a lawyer may be the best way to make sure all family members and loved ones feel their interests are being considered. This brings up the house in Edmonton, which, if the sale has gone through, may have to be sold as part of the estate. Bank accounts may have to be frozen, credit cards must be frozen and accounts dealt with. And this all takes time and an outlay of cash to be repaid in the future from the estate. Given the potential number of creditors and beneficiaries involved, and the emotional turmoil which the family is suffering, it would make sense to hire people who can be objective and who have the professional expertise required to navigate the paperwork involved in probate. The executor's fee would also be an expense to be paid from the estate. All creditors would be paid before beneficiaries would receive any money from the estate.
Continuing with the paperwork that will be involved, the family will have to complete the requirements in order to receive death certificates for all three people which may also mean having to somehow have Medical Certificates of Death for them first. They will have to cancel OAS and CPP benefits. Since AL and KL are residents of Alberta, the family will have to find and destroy SIN cards. Passports have to be returned with copies of death certificates. They will have to notify Canada Revenue Agency of the deaths. (
https://www.canadianbirthcertificate.com/FAQs.aspx?CertificateType=GeneralDeathFAQs#Faq2) They will have to pay for some of these services, perhaps not huge amounts, but there could be some additional expenses.
Family members may need to hire someone to go through social media, etc, and purge records, photos, etc. They may also want to set up a memorial site or a digital memorial book of condolence. Again, this might cost a little bit.
Even though they are going through absolute hell in not knowing where Nathan, Kathryn and Alvin are, the entire extended family has financial obligations that have to be met. That means the families of every one of Alvin's and Kathryn's children and those of their siblings are facing financial hardship. Hydro has to be paid. Mortgage payments must be met or homes could be lost. Telephone and computer services must be paid for. If you can't work because you are looking for the bodies of your relatives, or looking for traces of evidence that they are still alive, or you're overcome by grief, you still must meet those expenses. And, given the situation, those families must keep lines of communication open. All those families.
The family may well want to put items from the house into storage so that they can be considered and dealt with as part of the estate. I'm sure many people reading this thread can tell stories about fights between family members about who is entitled to get the Italian vase, or the sofa, or the diaries from their parents' estates. The expense of storage may not be necessary for AL and KL since, as you say, "the owners are dead", but it is necessary for everyone in the extended family. It will take time for the items to be sorted, and storage costs will add up. I believe that, at this time, few in that extended family necessarily even believe the three missing people are dead.
In an email to The Canadian Press, Teena Prevost, a sister-in-law of Kathryn Liknes, said her family is praying police are wrong. “Until the police can show us the bodies of our loved ones we will not believe they are deceased,” she wrote. “Praying we will find them alive.”
(
http://globalnews.ca/news/1453658/m...-were-nathan-obrien-alvin-and-kathryn-liknes/)
Storage of those items is essential, both because of the potential bequests and because to junk the items which AL and KL were planning to put in their Edmonton home would be coldly stating that there is no hope and that their memories are being erased.
Not everything at the Liknes estate sale was necessarily sold. Even the things that were sold may not have all been taken away before the disappearance. So someone will have to look after the disposal of those items. Given the emotional state of the family, it seems to me that hiring a junk removal service to take away everything left over makes the most sense. At least a few of those services include recycling and proper disposal of electronic equipment. These services are great, and their prices show it.
Perhaps you're correct about the bodies no longer existing. If they are dead as LE apparently believes, and if the assumptions that DG or unnamed abductor/murderers disposed of the victims' bodies in a way that would leave little to find. However, it is possible that remains of the three may yet be found. I don't think you can simply say no body, so no funeral, so no expense. In fact, when the family acknowledges that death has come to the three disappeared, there will be death notices which must be published, Requiem masses to be sung, memorial services to be held, memorials to be built in the memory of three much loved human beings. Decisions must be made regarding asking people to make donations to a particular charity in lieu of flowers. There are also cards thanking people to be purchased, signed, and mailed. And, if Nathan was my grandchild, and his parents approved, I would take whatever was left of his little body, and I mean whatever, and I would make sure it received burial with his super hero costumes. Not just for my grandson, but for my child and my child's spouse who need to see this done, and for my other grandchildren, and for all his aunts and uncles and cousins and teachers and coaches and friends. For the neighbours, for the school mates, for the team mates. For me. I would want to put him under a tree that would cover him through rain and snow and the heat of a summer sun. Because a funeral is an act of love, and respect, and honouring the person who is now gone by those who are left behind to mourn the passing and celebrate that life, no matter how many minutes or days or years you were blessed to have that person in your life.
In addition, because the situation with DG and any subsequent arrests may lead to a trial, there is every possibility that the Liknes/O'Brien family will want to hire their own lawyer/s in order to protect the reputations of their loved ones from the tactics of defence attorneys who often will trash the victims in order to gain sympathy and support for their clients. Child care expenses may also be incurred during the trial, as will parking costs if family members drive to the court house, or the fares paid to taxis if people feel too emotionally distraught to drive themselves home at the end of a day. In addition, the family members who feel they must attend to represent the disappeared, possibly murdered, members of their family throughout the trial will have to endure is the attitude of the Criminal Justice system towards survivors. Somehow the righteous anger, the overwhelming sorrow of survivors is interpreted as a demand for vengeance and family's must sit stoically and listen to emotional pleas for the judge and jury to be understanding of the accused. Yet they can't even show sorrow that their loved ones are gone. Very stressful for the entire family.
As well, the family may need to increase the security precautions they use around their homes, especially during the time of the trial/s to come. They become potential targets for thieves who may choose to strike during times that the trial is going on. Family members may need to change the status of their phone numbers, make deletions on social media accounts, and make other changes in the way they conduct their lives. And those changes have charges which all add up over time.
The stress of the events following the disappearance may have medical consequences for the survivors, and there will be costs involved for medication, specialists, and so on. This is going to continue to haunt the family. Every time they open a paper, there's a chance that they will be reminded of the crime, and of their losses. Every time they turn on the TV or go on the internet, or use social media, they may see images or words which will bring the raw emotions back. They are going to need help to cope with it all.
Furthermore, every single person in that extended family is going to need counselling on an ongoing basis from now until quite some time after the trial is finished. In fact, it may go on longer if the accused has parole board hearings and family members must make an appearance. Nathan's brothers and cousins are going to need special counselling specifically for children. As well, the stress of this situation could lead to the shattering of some relationships, and so this treatment is essential. It is also possible that some people in the family will have PTSD, and may require treatment specific to that. I'm particularly concerned about JO as she discovered the scene and was there on her own waiting for the first responders.
One more thing. No one is being coerced into contributing to any fundraising event or project. If people feel they want to contribute, they can. For people who want to express their support for the extended family of the victims, making a financial contribution is a way of doing something practical that may lift a tiny part of the burden that family is now carrying. IMO, no one believes that any amount of money can bring back the dead. That isn't the point of the fundraisers. They are to support the living. The funds are there to allow the living time to mourn their loss during a time of adjusting to life without a mother, a sister, an aunt, a grandmother, a father, a twin, an uncle, a stepmother, a stepfather, a sister-in-law, a brother-in-law, a child, a little brother, a big brother. They are, JMO, a way for the community to say they understand if changes are made in the way they must now live their lives and that they are not alone.
The family has not asked for these events to be held, and they will not become rich from the proceeds. In point of fact, the family may well never touch a cent of the money raised to meet any of their expenses but may well help direct the organizers of the fundraisers to honour the memory of their loved ones in some way. The fundraisers are an expression of generosity and sympathy for people in great pain and, IMO, are an invaluable outlet for people in the larger community to take action and do something.
That being said, this is, unfortunately, a situation which is tailor-made for con artists and scams who might run fundraisers and abscond with the proceeds. Hopefully everyone checks an organization before making a donation to its cause.
I'm sure that Websleuths members who have first-hand experience with surviving the murder of a loved one will have additions or changes for my list of expenses which you may not have considered. It's just a starting point.
