Hundreds of people gathered at the Centre Street Church on Thursday to honour the memories of a murdered mother and daughter.
Friends, family members and neighbours said goodbye to 34-year-old Sara Baillie and her five-year-old daughter Taliyah Marsman during the afternoon memorial service. Those closest to the family described Baillie as a dedicated mother who loved her daughter. Marsman was remembered as a little girl who loved to dance, play and laugh..
Janet Fredette, Sara’s mother and Taliyah’s grandmother, read a statement before the memorial service saying…
“We are, of course, overcome with grief by the unnecessary loss of two beautiful members of our family.
Despite our grief we are also overwhelmed by the strength that this community has given us.
The Calgary Police Service, our friends, and hundreds, if not thousands, of unknown community members have shown us how to be strong.
Thank you for your support Calgary, Alberta and Canada.”
According to police, the mother and daughter were killed prior to July 11. Baillie’s body was discovered by police in her Panorama Hills home following a check on welfare request after she failed to appear at work.
Following the grisly discovery, an Amber Alert was issued for Baillie’s five-year-old daughter Taliyah. The alert ended two days later following the discovery of a body east of Calgary city limits.
Police have ruled the deaths as homicides and a 46-year-old man faces charges in connection with their deaths.
Family members say the loss has left them with profound grief and sadness. A makeshift memorial outside of the Panorama Hills home continues to grow and the family has received an outpouring of online support from the community.
Reverend Miriam Mollering presided over the memorial service and said that the deaths of Sara and Taliyah are difficult to accept.
“Today we gather together with a profound sense of unspeakable grief to somehow make sense of a senseless tragedy and to find hope in the midst of the darkness. Our community, our city and even across our nation and around the world, we are shocked, it’s not supposed to be like this but it is and we hurt. We are devastated but we are not defeated. A senseless loss committed by an evil person, however we will not permit our anger or this tragic act of hatred and violence to define us as a city or a province or a nation or a community or as friends, family, or as strangers.” said Mollering.
Family and friends paid tribute to the two and video montages of Sara and Taliyah were played for the congregation.
“When I was five or six years old I remember always hounding Sara to take me to the video store to get a video game and she needed to wash her car. So we went to the car wash she bought her ticket we drove up to the bay door to punch in the code. She punched in the code, the door wasn’t opening so we waited. Finally it opened. As we started pulling up she wanted to get a new ticket so we could get the car washed. I rolled up my window as we drove by, Sara didn’t, I saw the water splashing in her face,” said Justin Hamilton, Sara’s cousin.
“This is a message from Alex, our daughter and Justin’s sister. Sara was a huge role model to Alex growing up. She taught her what to do, but more importantly what not to do. Sara taught Alex everything from how to fall off a bike, how not to drive, and which boys not to date. We like to think Alex has learned from most of Sara’s learning experiences,” said Scott Hamilton, Sara’s uncle.
“Her undying love for Taliyah was an unspoken bond that no one could deny. That beautiful little soul was like meeting Sara’s mini me,” said Tawny Poelzer. “It is not here where Sara and Taliyah’s journey ends but their spirits will live on in all of us whom are so fortunate to have even had these beautiful souls touch our lives if only for an instance . Let their souls rest in peace, love you long time you little sweet peas.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asked for donations to be made to the Missing Children Society of Canada.
With files from CTV's Jordan Kanygin
