CANADA Canada - Chantelle Bushie, 16, Grande Prairie, Alberta, 1 Dec. 2007

[TheArtfulDetective]

Chantelle Alice Rose Bushie



Name: Chantelle Alice Rose Bushie
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: December 1, 2007
Location Last Seen: Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

Physical Description
Date of Birth: April 2, 1991
Age: 16 years old
Race: Native
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 119 pounds
Hair Color: Black short
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Tattoo of "V T" on left hand (her parent's initials)

Identifiers
Dentals: Not Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Not Available

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance
Chantelle Bushie was known to lead a high risk lifestyle. She has not been heard from since December 2007. Bushie, 16, was mother to a daughter who was only a few months old at the time. She is a member of Alberta's Dene Tha' First Nation. She had a difficult childhood with traumatic events, as she was abused and also suffered the accidental death of her sister.

When she was 14 she started to cut class and run away from home. On the street, she sometimes went by the alias Kim Star, and she was known to police as someone who hung around with sex workers and drug dealers—but she herself was neither. Whenever police officers picked up Chantelle and brought her home, she would inevitably take off again.

At the time, Chantelle's disappearance didn't seem unusual. Not until September 2009, almost two years later with no contact, was she reported as a missing person by her mother.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: RCMP Grande Prairie Detachment
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: 780-830-5700
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: 20091101748

NCIC Case Number: Unknown
NamUs Case Number: Unknown

3920DFAB - Chantelle Alice Rose Bushie

 

[TheArtfulDetective]

The Disappearance of Chantelle Bushie

EARLY LIFE:
Chantelle Bushie was born on April 2, 1991 in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. The daughter of a single mother, she and her family had a difficult time during her upbringing, with Chantelle in particular experiencing numerous traumatic events. When she was 11 years old, she and her brother witnessed the death of their younger sister, Summer, after she fell under a wagon wheel during a community event, and it’s reported that Chantelle was sexually abused during her teenage years.

The Bushie family are of Alberta’s Dene Tha’ First Nation and spent some of Chantelle’s childhood living in one of its three communities, Meander River. When she was 12 years old, her mother, Vivian, moved the family back to Grande Prairie, where she enrolled in the Teacher Education North program at a local college, in the hopes of one day working with Indigenous students in rural, northern schools. However, due to the stress of raising her children and having to work, on top of her educational funding being cut off during the summer months, she was forced to drop out after only a year.

Unfortunately, Chantelle and Vivian’s relationship began to deteriorate upon returning to Grande Prairie. As she entered her teenage years, she began to cut class and run away, often disappearing for days at a time. According to Vivian, her daughter felt as though she didn’t belong anywhere and thus had a difficult time making friends. She eventually ended up spending time with a bad crowd and they began to influence her behaviour.

According to authorities, Chantelle led what’s been deemed a “high-risk” lifestyle. She was known to police as someone who would hang around sex workers and drug dealers, although she participated in neither activity, and her running away meant she was known to local law enforcement. This prompted her mother to contact child welfare in order to see if there was anything she could do to help steer her in the right direction. However, their response was that they could only get involved if Chantelle ended up becoming a risk to herself.

Despite her hardships, Chantelle was an overall kind girl who was known for her sass. Whilst in school, she found herself skilled in both math and art, which her mother remembers her enjoying. When she was 15 years old, she became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl named Fahtima. In April 2007, Vivian filed for custody of the child, a request that was granted.

DISAPPEARANCE:
Chantelle was last heard from in December 2007. At the time, her disappearance didn’t seem unusual, given her history of running away from home. Vivian simply assumed her daughter was on the streets somewhere, and the police would not get involved unless she got in trouble with the law.

It wasn’t until September 14, 2009 that the teenager was officially reported missing, nearly two years since she’d last contacted her family. This came after Vivian was unable to verify that she was in Vancouver, British Columbia, where it was believed she had travelled.

SEARCH:
Chantelle’s case is currently being handled by the Grande Prairie detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It had been temporarily transferred to the organization’s KARE unit, which investigates files of murdered and vulnerable individuals throughout Alberta, but the case was deemed to not fit its mandate. There have been no updates since this occurred, and the Bushie family claims to have not heard from investigators since 2012.

The authorities have said they are unable to share details about the case, given its ongoing nature. However, they have said that the investigator in charge regularly meets with a representative from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to discuss Chantelle and other files.

AFTERMATH:
Vivian is continuing to take care of Chantelle’s daughter. It’s become a priority of hers to teach Fahtima about the dangers she may encounter as an Indigenous woman in Canada.

Chantelle’s brother has struggled with alcoholism and drug use as a method of coping with her disappearance and Summer’s death. He has been in and out of jail.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chantelle Alice Rose Bushie went missing from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada in December 2007. She was 16 years old. At the time of her disappearance, she was of a medium build, standing at 5’5″ and weighing approximately 119 pounds. She has short black hair and brown eyes, and has a tattoo of the letters “VT” on her left hand, which represent her parents’ initials.

Currently, the case is classified as endangered missing. If alive, she would be 29 years old.

Those with information regarding the case are asked to contact the Grande Prairie detachment of the RCMP at either 780-830-5700 or 780-830-5701. Those wishing to remain anonymous can submit tips via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The Disappearance of Chantelle Bushie

 

[tarabull]

My Grande Prairie Now: Chantelle Bushie still missing 15 years after teen's disappearance.

Chantelle Bushie still missing 15 years after teen's disappearance - My Grande Prairie Now

December 1, 2022 marks 15 years since the day 16-year-old Chantelle Bushie was last seen in Grande Prairie. She has been considered a missing person […]

www.mygrandeprairienow.com

 

[Pennysmom1]

Canada's Missing | Case details

www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Aliases STAR, Kim
Missing since December 1, 2007
Year of birth 1991
Age at disappearance 16
Gender Female
Bio group Indigenous
Eye colour Brown
Hair Black, Short
Height 165cm / 5ft 5in
Weight 4kg / 119lb
Build Medium
Complexion Dark

Tattoo​

Left Wrist, The letters "VT"

Chantelle Alice Rose Bushie

Chantelle has not been seen since December 2007

someonesawsomething.ca

She’s from the Dene Tha’ First Nation to the north, her childhood spent in a number of northern Alberta places, including Meander River, one of three Dene Tha’ communities.

<<Chantelle did not have an easy childhood. She was sexually assaulted as a teenager. When she was 11 years old, her youngest sister Summer died in a horrible accident. Summer was on a wagon ride. She fell from the wagon and landed under the wheel. Sadly, Chantelle and her brother both saw it happen. >>

<<Chantelle had become pregnant at the age of 15. And when her baby girl was just two weeks old, in April 2007, Vivian remembers a support worker from Child Protective Services helping Vivian file for custody. By Christmas, Chantelle was gone at only 16 years old.>

 

[Pennysmom1]

https://www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered/mmiw/profiles/chantelle-alice-rose-bushie