Mother sets out to walk the Highway of Tears

Sunday, will see Audrey Auger and a group of young people begin a 722 mile walk down the Highway of Tears, a commemoration of the life Auger's young daughter Aielah Katherina Saric.

Saric was 14 when she disappeared along that infamous stretch of highway, subsequently found dead east of Prince George in February of 2006. Nine women, most of them of First Nations ancestry have disappeared on that highway since 1990, while the investigations continue there has been little progress yet made on their cases.

A website has been developed to keep the message alive and provide updates on developments along the Highway of Tears.

Ms. Auger and her group leave Prince Rupert on Sunday morning. The CBC featured her story and her plans on their website Friday.

Mother walks 'highway of tears' in memory of slain girl
Last Updated: Friday, June 29, 2007 12:33 PM PT
CBC News

A woman plans to walk 722 kilometres along the "highway of tears" between two northern B.C. communities to help herself heal after losing her 14-year-old daughter in a highway killing in February 2006.

Audrey Auger said her daughter, Aielah Katherina Saric, went missing last year and was later found dead along Highway 16, east of Prince George.

Aielah Katherina Saric's body was found along Highway 16, east of Prince George.

Since 1990, nine women, most of them young and aboriginal, have vanished or turned up dead on the stretch of road from Prince George to Prince Rupert, known as the highway of tears.

Auger described the last time she saw her daughter.

"She waved at me and blew me a kiss and said, 'I'll be back, mom, I'll be back, don't worry, I'll phone you,'" Auger said.

Since Saric's death, Auger turned to alcohol and has been living on the street, she said. Last month, she woke up and decided to get her act together.

Auger hopes the journey will "help me live again, to find my strength and know who I am in the role of a woman.

"I'm not there yet, but I'm getting there — baby steps, they say, and that's what I'm taking right now."

Auger and a group of youths will start their 722-kilometre journey this Sunday in Prince Rupert.