A week after her body was found lying in the snow, 15-year-old Loren Donn Leslie was fondly remembered by family and friends who are still coming to terms with her tragic death.
Hundreds of mourners filled the Stellaquo Hall in Fraser Lake, B.C., to capacity for Loren's memorial on Saturday, describing her as a sweet natured girl who was an inspiration to her peers.
"She put motivation in lots of people to strive to be better," friend Blaine Smith said. "To lose someone like this, it's a hard thing."
Her classmates say Loren was quiet, but not afraid to speak up.
"She was one of the people that were going to be going somewhere," said Meagan Ketlo. "She was smart. She was just a person that everybody could like."
The large turnout and displays of raw emotion in the hall showed just how rattled local residents are by her death.
Sandra Peters, a friend of the Leslie family, says the community is still struggling to understand what happened. Investigators have so far been tight-lipped about the circumstances.
An autopsy was scheduled for Wednesday in Kamloops, but the cause of death has yet to be released.
On Tuesday, 20-year-old Cody Alan Legebokoff was charged with first-degree murder in Loren's death. Her father told CTV News earlier this week they were acquainted with each other, but said he was unclear about how.
Legebokoff was stopped by Mounties on suspicion of poaching last Saturday night while driving his pickup truck out of a snow-covered road.
Officers searched the area for evidence, but found Loren's body instead.
