SASKATOON -- Friends and family of the victims of a triple homicide in Prince Albert released balloons on Sunday to mark the one-year anniversary of their deaths.
The bodies of Sandra Henry and Denis Carrier and their grandson, Bentlee, were found in their home in Prince Albert’s West Flat neighbourhood on March 29, 2020.
The tribute was held in the parking lot near the Lake Country Co-op grocery store where Sandra Henry worked.
“I think, like (almost) everybody in the community, we were horrified of the circumstances and then the realization that somebody that beautiful was not in our community, that was the hard part,” said Henry’s co-worker Herold Mulholland.
Over 300 balloons were released into the air and and volunteers collected donations for Henry and Carrier’s children, Jessie and Denis Junior Carrier. There has yet to be a memorial service for the couple.
Family friend Deanne Meredith was in attendence, she said she hopes this helps the family.
“It will never go away this date but it will bring closure,” Meredith said.
The couple’s granddaughter, Kendrah, who was five-years-old at the time, survived the attack but sustained major injuries which she is still recovering from. She’s since had a tracheotomy tube removed and is back to school.
The mother of the children, Heather Sumners, said the balloon release was to put the focus on the other lives lost in the tragedy as there’s been a lot of attention on Bentlee’s death and the injuries sustained by her daughter Kendrah in the incident.
“We had a memorial service for Bentlee but for Sandra and Denis they haven’t done that yet. I don’t know if they are going to. It’s totally up to them,” Sumners said.
The children’s father, and son of Henry and Carrier, Nathaniel Carrier, 29, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in relation to the incident.
Sumners said Nathaniel’s brothers haven’t gotten a lot of support in dealing with the loss of their parents.
“To this day no one understands. I don’t think we’ll ever understand,” Sumners said.
No date has been set for Carrier's trial. The matter is before Prince Albert’s Court of Queen’s Bench.
“And down the line once trial comes around there’ll be more closure but it’s a good start,” Sumners said.