BURNABY, B.C. -- A steady stream of mourners made their way to Burnaby’s Greentree Village Park Thursday to pay their respects at a growing memorial to a woman who was found murdered near the playground last week.
By all accounts, 49-year-old Ma Cecelia Loreto, known to her friends as Maricel, was a kind, hard-working woman who gave back to her community.
”She knows a lot of people. She’s very famous in the Filipino community because she’s serving the community and has a lot of friends. So, she will be dearly missed,” said her brother Armand Perez.
Police believe Loreto was murdered in her New Westminster home on Wednesday, March 17, and then brought to the park where her body was set on fire in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Homicide investigators say the case has even taken an emotional toll on them.
“These are seasoned investigators who have seen probably the worst of the worst,” said Sgt. Frank Jang of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. “It was a very troubling scene, a challenging scene, given the state of the body.”
On Wednesday, police announced two people had been arrested.
A 15-year-old – who cannot be identified because they are a minor – and 21-year-old Carlo Tobias each face one count of first-degree murder and one count of indignity to human remains.
Police say the crime was not gang-related or random, which put park neighbours at ease, though many said their hearts still go out to Loreto and her loved ones.
“I wanted to see the memorial and pay my respect,” said area resident Lise Atchley, who visited on Thursday to view the flowers, candles and photographs quickly accumulating near where Loreto’s body was discovered.
Friends say Loreto loved to sing, had a smile that could light up a room, and was always ready to volunteer to make a difference in the community.
“We love her, and we want her to be remembered as a person with so much goodness,” said friend Narima Dela Cruz. “She was just so deserving to be loved.”
Tobias and his 15-year-old co-accused will be in New Westminster court Friday.
In the meantime, those mourning at the memorial say instead of thinking about the suspects, they will use this time to focus on the light Loreto brought into their lives before hers was so violently taken.
