Family speaks out 1 year after Abbotsford, B.C., seniors murdered in their home

They used to walk into their parents' Abbotsford home expecting to smell their mom’s freshly baked cinnamon buns or to hear the sound of their dad’s footsteps from his heavy boots.

Now, the home that was once the hub of their family is instead silent.

The past 12 months have been a nightmare that the family of murdered seniors Arnold and Joanne De Jong cannot escape.

“How many times a day do I think ‘What were their last moments like?’” said Kimberley Coleman, one of the De Jongs' three daughters.

"That will never go out of our minds."

Just over a year ago, the tight-knit family had all been together to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“It was a good day,” recalled Sandra Barthel, another of the couple's daughters.

“Little did we know it would be the last time we would see them,” she said.

The following day, when the De Jongs couldn’t be reached, a family member went to check on them. The daughters would soon learn the unimaginable.

“Just the shock of seeing 25 … police cars around your childhood home, and then not being able to even go onto the property,” recalled Heather Hoogland, also one of the De Jongs' daughters.

“It’s just been such a hard, painful year and it will still be painful the rest of our lives,” said Coleman.

Last December, three Surrey men, Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet Singh and Khushveer Toor were charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of the De Jongs. At the time, police said one of the accused was known to the family, but did not comment on a possible motive.

The three accused remain in custody and return to court later this month.

“We have never heard of them. We do not know them, had never seen them,” said Coleman.

The De Jongs were married nearly 55 years. Both in their late 70s, they had lived at the family home since 1979.

“(They were) hard-working, wholesome, kind people, loving. They were great parents,” said Coleman.

Hoogland said her mom and dad would do anything for anyone. They were always willing to help those in need.

“Our mom loved to be home. She loved to just do all the mom things. She was an amazing seamstress, an amazing baker, an amazing cook,” said Barthel, who also said her mom loved music and played piano and the organ at their church.

She said her dad taught his daughters to work hard.

"He taught us to be responsible. He taught us to be loyal,” Barthel said.

Their dad ran his own trucking business, which he had continued to do even as he battled cancer in his last years.

Arnold and Joanne De Jong are seen in this photo provided by their family.

Perhaps what brought Arnold and Joanne De Jong the most joy was spending time with their grandkids.

“They loved being grandparents,” said Hoogland.

“My boys loved going to my mom and dad’s house and they had a beautiful place to come and play,” she explained. “My mom had adventures with them and she loved nothing more. My dad would always call and say, “When are the boys coming?’ because it gave him so much joy to have them here.”

The sisters say their parents were kind people, who had deep faith and gave back to their church and community.

The daughters don’t know what would motivate anyone to kill their parents.

“They come into an elderly couple’s home, home that’s supposed to be their sanctuary, their safety and do this to them? For what reason? Why? My parents didn’t hurt anybody,” said Coleman.

The couple's daughters said their parents would want them to find the peace and happiness that was stolen from them the day their parents were murdered.

The sisters aren’t sure that will ever happen.

“Every day, you just have to wake up, crawl out of a dark hole, make the best of each day, and do all the things we’ve learned have come with all this,” Barthel said.

The daughters say they are praying for justice and vow to attend every court appearance.

“We owe that to our mom and dad,” Barthel said.