In 2001, Ada Elaine Brown was a 41-year-old mother of two, living in Prince George, British Columbia, and was a member of the Tahltan First Nations. Ada came from a big family and was the youngest of eight siblings. She was known as the life of her family.
On April 9, Ada’s lifeless body was found in a hotel room. Within hours of her death, police determined that Ada had died of natural causes. This conclusion was reached without a criminal investigation or autopsy.
When Ada’s body was brought home for her funeral, her family barely recognized her. She had been badly beaten and had bruises on her face and two black eyes. This left many questions for the family about how her death was determined to be from natural causes and how the police were so quick to label it as such.
She had been beaten so badly we barely recognized her.Terri Brown, sister of Ada Elaine Brown (Vancouver Sun)
Her family was suspicious of the cause of her death because Ada was known to have been in a relationship with a man who was both physically and verbally abusive toward her. Despite Ada’s sister and daughter’s attempts to stop the relationship, they were unable to get her away.
Almost a year after Ada’s death, her family received an autopsy report stating that the cause of death was a brain aneurysm. Her family knew that Ada had visited a doctor complaining of headaches before her death but was sent home with Tylenol and no proper examination each time. Days later, she was found dead. Terri, Ada’s sister, believes that if she died from a brain aneurysm, it was caused by being beaten.
No one has been charged with Ada Brown’s death, and her family has been fighting for answers regarding the inconsistencies and lack of investigation ever since. The RCMP considers the case closed.
