Deceased doctor remembered as having 'positive impact' in emergency room, courtroom
Friends and colleagues of a well-respected physician, who suddenly disappeared and was later found deceased, are mourning the sudden loss.
According to police, Dr. Tracy Pickett, 55, was reported missing on Wednesday, prompting a large search at Pacific Spirit Regional Park. Her remains were discovered Thursday evening.
“It's a tremendous shock. I can tell you that Tracy was one of those people who when she'd show up for a shift, she would always, like, have a positive impact on the people around her,” said Dr. Afshin Khazei, who’s known Pickett since medical school.
Pickett has a vast resume: emergency room physician, jail physician, former UBC clinical professor, past president of the Medical Legal Society of BC and medical forensic expert.
“Despite her accomplishments, she was incredibly humble, kind, thoughtful and caring. And so when you would work with her, you would feel that she would value you as a person. She was very approachable. And whether you are a first year medical student or you know, a colleague, she would treat everybody the same,” he said.
Khazei remembers how Pickett first got into the field of forensic medicine.
“She felt very strongly about the need for justice and getting people that were victimized a strong voice, and also achieving closure for families of these victims,” he said.
EXPERT WITNESS AT TRIAL
In the days leading up to her disappearance, she was testifying in a B.C. murder trial.
“Many of us have had to testify in court for a variety of circumstances, which adds a significant burden and layer of complexity and strain to your personal life,” explained Dr. Josh Greggain, president of Doctors of BC.
“I'll speak for me on behalf of my colleagues, when you come up to those situations, you don't sleep very well and you're worried about the outcome and you just never know whether justice will be served.”
Since the pandemic, physicians have faced increasing mental health challenges.
At a talk about Forensic Emergencies, Dr. Pickett encouraged attendees to be aware of their well-being.
“Look after your own mental health, especially if you’re the subject of legal action. Sometimes these cases take years,” she said in the 2018 video. “It’s OK to talk about how the case makes you feel with a loved one or a family doc or someone you trust, but you can’t talk about the details of the case. It can be gut wrenching; it can be very, very difficult.”
Vancouver police said preliminary evidence doesn’t suggest she died of a crime. They would not comment if she died by suicide, adding it is now a BC Coroner Service investigation.
Dr. Khazei said it is unlikely that she would’ve taken her own life.
“She was the medical director of a sexual assault service. She was a champion of helping victims of these horrible crimes gain closure and justice. So to leave a case halfway through that would be really out of character that would really surprise me that she would do that as a choice,” he explained.
Pickett leaves behind her husband and two adult daughters.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.