Rosemarie and Mark Surakka were at the Mission RCMP detachment Sunday morning, hoping to collect the personal belongings of their daughter, murder victim Lisa Dudley. However the mother and step-father of the victim left empty-handed.

The Surakkas were told in advance that the items were no longer at the Mission detachment, but had been moved, on Friday, to the RCMP office in Surrey. They were also told they could come to Surrey and collect the items.

But, for personal reasons, and because of the principle of the matter, the Surakkas refused to go to Surrey and arrived in Mission instead.

鈥淲hy would they gather the belongings and ship them to Surrey when we鈥檙e here? Why didn鈥檛 we get a call saying OK we鈥檒l meet you there (Mission) on Sunday?鈥� asked Mark.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to Surrey. I have a daughter I have to look after. We鈥檙e not even supposed to be in the car for that amount of time with the health problems that we have,鈥� explained Rosemarie.

It was in September of 2008 that Lisa Dudley, and her partner, Guthrie McKay were shot in their Mission home.

McKay died at the scene, but Dudley, who was 37 at the time, stayed alive for four days before finally being discovered by a neighbour. She was airlifted to hospital, but died later that day.

The Mission officer investigating a shots fired call at the couple鈥檚 home left the scene after being there for approximately 10 minutes, without going inside, and did not follow up the next day.

Four years later, RCMP Cpl. Mike White was reprimanded and docked one day鈥檚 pay following a review by the adjudication board.

Four men were eventually convicted in the pair鈥檚 death: Jack Woodruff, Justin MacKinnon, Bruce Main and Thomas Holden.

After a long battle, a court order was issued last month to return Dudley鈥檚 personal objects, that the RCMP took from the murder scene as possible evidence, to the Surakkas.

In the order, RCMP Corp. Matthew Hartwig of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) presented a request for 30 days before turning over the items.

Today (June 16) marks the end of the 30-day period. Coincidentally, June 16 was also Dudley鈥檚 birthday. She would have been 48.

The Surakkas met briefly with Mission RCMP Staff Sgt. Steve Crawford, before leaving the detachment to address the media.

They said they were told Mission鈥檚 evidence room is closed on Sundays, which is why the items were moved to Surrey, so they could be picked up on the deadline day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 Mr. Hartwig鈥檚 responsibility to bring the articles. He鈥檚 involved in the paperwork of it all and he鈥檚 responsible for that, not Mr. Crawford. Mr. Hartwig is, but he鈥檚 reluctant to come here on the Sunday on the day the judge ordered,鈥� said Mark.

鈥淗ow can it be an accommodation, that鈥檚 what they鈥檝e said we鈥檝e accommodated you, come to Surrey. How can that be when we live here and this is an RCMP station and all they have to do is bring the boxes and let鈥檚 go through them item by item and make sure what you have there is what is on the judges order.鈥�

Mark added that Mission is where this all started 11 years ago and coming to the RCMP station causes them to 鈥渜uake a little inside.鈥�

Rosemarie said she鈥檚 not angry about the situation, but does feel 鈥� sick to my stomach and I鈥檓 frustrated, because a judge made an order.鈥�

While she does want to finally get her daughter鈥檚 belonging back, it won鈥檛 give her a feeling of closure.

鈥淭here is no closure. I never use that word because there is no such thing. This is my love between me and my daughter. It doesn鈥檛 close.鈥�

The Surakkas will now meet with a judge on Friday and ask for the court order to be enforced. They want an exact time and an exact date to have items returned and not in Surrey.

While Staff Sgt. Crawford said he could not comment on details of the situation, he did agree to discuss why the evidence, which had been stored in Mission for years, was moved.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an IHIT file and although the exhibits were stored in Mission, in this case, the protocols are where ever the offense takes place that agency stores the exhibits. But it鈥檚 IHIT鈥檚 investigation so arguably they are IHIT鈥檚 exhibits and it鈥檚 IHIT who has authority over what happens to them and when. So we simply were the repository and IHIT鈥檚 efforts were to try to facilitate the return 鈥� because we are closed on Sundays, exhibits are certainly closed and we run short hours with short staff 鈥� and that was attempted but obviously wasn鈥檛 to their liking,鈥� explained Crawford.

kevin.mills@missioncityrecord.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter