Delta, B.C., man charged in connection with 2021 death of missing teen from Tsawwassen First Nation
A Delta, B.C., man is facing multiple charges following the 2021 death of a teenager previously reported missing, police said Friday.
Maaike Blom, 17, was found on the morning of Dec. 7, 2021 at a home in the 2400 block Falcon Way in Tsawwassen First Nation.
Blom, who lived in the First Nation's lands — which border the city of Delta — had been reported missing a couple of days earlier, police said at the time.
An investigation determined that Blom "did not die as a result of a homicide," Delta police said Friday.
They went on to say Jimmy Eely, a 22-year-old man from Delta who was known to Blom, was arrested Thursday.
Crown counsel has approved 11 charges against Eely, including interference or indignity to a dead body, as well as multiple firearms and drug offences, police said.
"Although the loss of Maaike will be eternal, we hope that an arrest in this matter brings some form of solace to Maaike's family, friends, and the community," Deputy Chief Harj Sidhu said in a release.
"We acknowledge that there is still a long road of healing ahead for everyone involved in this tragic situation."
Eely appeared in court on Friday.
