A 57-year-old woman is dead after the Coquitlam home she was in was swept away by a mudslide on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Today, Oct. 21, Coquitlam RCMP said the body of the woman was found Sunday night, Oct. 20, during a recovery effort by Canada Task Force 1 - Urban Search and Rescue and Coquitlam firefighters.
Her family has been notified. Police are not releasing her name; however, she has been publicly identified as Sonya McIntrye, a teacher at Port Moody's Aspenwood Elementary.
In a letter, school principal Don Hutchinson wrote to parents, "It is with great sadness that I am writing to inform you that our longtime teacher, Sonya McIntyre, died Saturday following a tragic accident. She has been a valued member of the Aspenwood community for many years as a teacher, and mentor to students and staff.
“Death can be difficult for us to understand, especially when it is sudden. You are receiving this letter this morning, as we wanted our families to hear information about a loss in our community from us. As your children arrive home today, they will be aware of Ms. McIntyre‘s death as we will be speaking with them this morning. You may feel a variety of or varying degrees of emotions: shock, sadness, or confusion. What is most important is that we care for and support each other.”
School District 43's Critical Incident Team is currently at the elementary and will be "as long as needed" to support the well-being of the students, teachers and staff, SD43 spokesperson Ken Hoff told Glacier Media.
A request for comment from Coquitlam RCMP was not immediately returned.
“This is a deeply tragic outcome and our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends,” said Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Alexa Hodgins in a news release.
"She was an amazing & caring teacher," said one commentor on social media.
The mudslide on the lower eastern slopes of Burke Mountain happened around 12:30 p.m. during the atmospheric river last Saturday.
Officials closed Quarry Road between Calgary Drive and MacIntyre Road after a report of the gush.
The corridor remains shut and emergency personnel continue to be in contact with area residents who are trapped on the other side of the mudslide.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2024-27774.
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