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The body of a female found Friday o¬n Highway 16 East has been identified as Aielah Katherina Saric-Auger of Prince George.
Police did not release the cause of death of the 14-year-old, who was last seen by her family almost two weeks ago, but said they are treating it as suspicious.
"(The family) is not holding up very well right now," said a family member, who did not want to be identified. "Nobody wants to talk about it right now."
Her body was discovered just off the highway o¬n Friday by a passing motorist near Tabor Mountain, about 15 kilometres east of Prince George.
Aielah (pronounced AY-la) was a student at D.P. Todd secondary school. Principal Brian Toll said most of the students had gone home by the time the information was received Wednesday afternoon.
"We have grief counselling in place for (today) for those students who may require it," said Toll.
The First Nations teen was last seen by her family o¬n Feb. 2. At the time, family members said she stayed overnight with a friend and were told there had been a sighting of her getting into a black van o¬n Feb. 3.
Aielah's mother, Audrey Auger, spent days and evenings combing the city in an attempt to find the teen, posting her picture around the city.
No details have been released o¬n the time or cause of death.
Aielah's body was found by tabor mountian she was abducted from in town.
i went to school with her..
she is such a sweet girl
miss Kimberly Alice
Fund started for girl's family
A trust fund has been established to help the family of Aielah Saric-Auger, the teenaged girl found dead by the side of Highway 16 near Tabor Mountain several days after she disappeared.
Saric-Auger attended D.P. Todd Secondary and one of her teachers, Gail Morong, along with the school's aboriginal worker Theresa Nelson, have taken up the cause to help her mother and older siblings through this hard time.
"(We) have set up a trust fund for Aielah's family to help them with funeral expenses and the many financial needs they have at this point," said Morong. "The main goal of the Auger family is to take Aielah's body back to the family home in Driftpile Cree Nations, Alberta, for a native burial.
"This is a family that was struggling financially even before this tragedy with Aielah occurred and they are reeling from the many unfortunate events which keep coming their way," Morong added. "We know (that community agencies) have been very helpful to the family so far. Family friends have managed to get some grocery items for the grieving Auger family and the out-of-town relatives. However, those food items received so far are already running out."
Morong hopes that businesses and individuals will take up collections, even small ones, to aid their plight. The Carrier Sekani Tribal Council has already donated $500 to the new account, which is available to the public at any TD Canada Trust bank.
"Every little bit will add up and we know the family desperately needs all the help they can get," said Morong. "We are counting on Prince George residents to show the Auger family that we are caring people with big hearts."
The family moved to Prince George last year from Edmonton. Audrey Auger, their mother, was married not long ago but her husband is away long-term in his home country in the Caribbean. She was attending UNBC and working at a custodial job.
Her oldest daughter took seriously ill and had to be flown to Vancouver Children's Hospital recently, causing Auger to put her UNBC studies on hold. They had only returned from hospital in Vancouver a day when Saric-Auger went missing. Her body was found on Feb. 11 after a week of searching. Morong said Auger had, in the midst of all this, lost her job and has received an eviction notice for missed rent payment.
