Sad story- runner killed in park near UBC on Friday

[Jwolf]

Family members of a woman murdered Friday afternoon in Pacific Spirit Park near UBC say they are devastated.

The body of 53- year old Wendy Ladner-Beaudry was found around 2:30 in the afternoon, on a nature trail near 41st and Camosun by some female hikers out for a walk....

http://www.cknw.com/Channels/Reg/NewsLo ... ID=1079042

This was the sister of Peter Ladner, the former Vancouver city councilor and mayoral candiate. Wendy was very active in the sports community in Vancouver.

It seems to have been a random attack and police are warning people, esepcially women, not to run in wooded areas alone.

[purdy65]

Yikes,

That's pretty scarey! I hope they find whoever did this!

Lisa

[Jo-Jo]

Very sad.

[Dr. S]

[Dr. S]

[lxiao]

Be safe.

[Bebette]

Very sad and freaky indeed.

Her daughter, Maya Beaudry, is or used to be on the national swimming team. From www.swimming.ca:

Maya was born in Vancouver BC, and got involved in various sports before dedicating herself to swimming. She currently trains out of her hometown with one of Canada’s powerhouse club, the UBC Dolphins where she is coached by Steve Price. Maya states that her friends and family (parents Michel and Wendy and 11 year old sister Jenna) will always be a huge motivation factor for her but the desire to improve every time she competes is what really keeps her going.

[chunkymonkeymelonhed]

Awful....................
very very sad

[Kelodie]

So very sad...

And scary.

[_Eric_]

Sad and sick!

[Tori]

That's awful!

[getfit]

That's so sad

[lovethehills]

I love the trails in Pacific Spirit Park and this is just awful. I was telling Mike last Sunday that I always feel uneasy in there, now this. It's such a tragedy, but will also hinder people from heading into the trails and that's a shame as well.

[ChrisL]

On a related subject, it seems that all we hear about Vancouver these days is either someone get shot, killed, gang violence, etc, and now this. Is the place becoming that dangerous?

[puttputt]

Run safe, everyone.

[redhead]

That's very sad. I've stopped running on one of my favourite local trails (Twelve Mile Creek Trail) because there have been so many serious attacks in the last 18 months. There was another one just two weeks ago ... a man was attacked, beaten and stabbed on the trail around 11:30 in the morning in broad daylight. Fortunately he survived. I hate that these things happen.

[Jwolf]

On a related subject, it seems that all we hear about Vancouver these days is either someone get shot, killed, gang violence, etc, and now this. Is the place becoming that dangerous?

There is a gang war going on. The recent escalation in violence is terrible, and mostly due to these two rival gangs. Thankfully the police did make an arrest on Friday of four of the suspects in one of the worst shooting incidents.

Overall, Vancouver is not more dangerous to the general public.

The murder of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry is not related, and while very sad, seems to be a very isolated, random attack. These do happen pretty much everywhere-- it just hits a nerve when it's a fellow-runner.

[Tisha]

How very sad. Thoughts and prayers are with her family.

[Stephan]

On a related subject, it seems that all we hear about Vancouver these days is either someone get shot, killed, gang violence, etc, and now this. Is the place becoming that dangerous?

There is a gang war going on. The recent escalation in violence is terrible, and mostly due to these two rival gangs. Thankfully the police did make an arrest on Friday of four of the suspects in one of the worst shooting incidents.

Overall, Vancouver is not more dangerous to the general public.

The murder of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry is not related, and while very sad, seems to be a very isolated, random attack. These do happen pretty much everywhere-- it just hits a nerve when it's a fellow-runner.

I totally agree!!! The media amplifies things so much!!!! Crime is not on the rise....coverage and sensationalism is on the rise.


...just to add to this....this is still a tragic event sad indeed......guys who do stuff like this should be......whatever

[canalrunner]

The freedom I get from running is something, as a male, I take for granted. That sense that you can go out the door, and go where you want to go--virtually at any time of the day or night--is a real bonus of running.

It is sad that incidents like this, not only take the life of an innocent, joyful person pursuing what they love to do, but will take away some freedom from others as well. It is sad that there are predators (mostly male) who do crap like that. Whether it is this incident or ones in the past in Ottawa, Toronto etc...

My sympathies to her family and friends.

[Jwolf]

No news (RCMP are still investigating), but a good article today in the Vancouver Sun

http://www.vancouversun.com/Wendy+Ladne ... story.html

There is talk of organizing some sort of "Take Back the Park" march or run in her memory.

[bnn]

The freedom I get from running is something, as a male, I take for granted. That sense that you can go out the door, and go where you want to go--virtually at any time of the day or night--is a real bonus of running.

It is sad that incidents like this, not only take the life of an innocent, joyful person pursuing what they love to do, but will take away some freedom from others as well. It is sad that there are predators (mostly male) who do crap like that. Whether it is this incident or ones in the past in Ottawa, Toronto etc...

My sympathies to her family and friends.

canalrunner you hit the nail on the head there

when I was harrassed by two men on bikes in my neighborhood in '05 and fearful something was going to 'happen' I was so angry that the freedom to run, to feel safe... etc was taken away from me.

It's such sad news thoughts and prayers to her family and friends.

[turd ferguson]

Oh, boy, if you're going ot jump in, jump in with both feet.

A ridiculous number of women have been murdered in BC and Alberta the last few years. Downtown Eastside, Prince George Highway of Tears, Edmonton prostitute murders.

The story hasn't been ignored by the media, but it hasn't always been front page news. I would guess that most Canadians haven't even heard of the Prince George murders.

But now one person from the right side of the tracks gets murdered in a nice neighbourhood and its a media frenzy.

I feel terrible for her and her family, but I also feel a little bit sick that this one killing is getting more attention than the killings of so many other women who are perhaps more disposable in our society.

I don't want to take away from this family's tragedy, which it is, but its not a bigger tragedy than when another young lady whose name isn't so prominent is killed and it doesn't make the news.

[ultraslacker]

Oh, boy, if you're going ot jump in, jump in with both feet.

A ridiculous number of women have been murdered in BC and Alberta the last few years. Downtown Eastside, Prince George Highway of Tears, Edmonton prostitute murders.

The story hasn't been ignored by the media, but it hasn't always been front page news. I would guess that most Canadians haven't even heard of the Prince George murders.

But now one person from the right side of the tracks gets murdered in a nice neighbourhood and its a media frenzy.

I feel terrible for her and her family, but I also feel a little bit sick that this one killing is getting more attention than the killings of so many other women who are perhaps more disposable in our society.

I don't want to take away from this family's tragedy, which it is, but its not a bigger tragedy than when another young lady whose name isn't so prominent is killed and it doesn't make the news.

I was thinking the same thing but didn't know how to say it!

[Jo-Jo]

Oh, boy, if you're going ot jump in, jump in with both feet.

A ridiculous number of women have been murdered in BC and Alberta the last few years. Downtown Eastside, Prince George Highway of Tears, Edmonton prostitute murders.

The story hasn't been ignored by the media, but it hasn't always been front page news. I would guess that most Canadians haven't even heard of the Prince George murders.

But now one person from the right side of the tracks gets murdered in a nice neighbourhood and its a media frenzy.

I feel terrible for her and her family, but I also feel a little bit sick that this one killing is getting more attention than the killings of so many other women who are perhaps more disposable in our society.

I don't want to take away from this family's tragedy, which it is, but its not a bigger tragedy than when another young lady whose name isn't so prominent is killed and it doesn't make the news.

I was thinking the same thing but didn't know how to say it!

Well said Mike...and food for thought.