“Justice for Bayli Jean Sellars.” That’s what family members want for the 22-year-old Chatham woman, who was found dead in an Edgar Street house fire earlier this year by responding firefighters.
“Justice for Bayli Jean Sellars.”
That’s what family members want for the 22-year-old Chatham woman, who was found dead in an Edgar Street house fire earlier this year by responding firefighters.
Family members finally reached out to The Chatham Daily News after growing increasingly frustrated at what they say is a persistent lack of information from Chatham-Kent police about the investigation.
They said they still don’t know Bayli’s cause of death and have received no word about the investigation into the June 25 blaze.
Bayli’s mother, Sherri Sellars, said she’s remained in regular contact with the investigators, “but I don’t get any answers.”
Police have only told her there have been no arrests made and they’re still investigating, she added.
Instead of answers, she said she’s been told by police to “have patience.”
“It’s been totally frustrating because we don’t totally know how to understand it,” Sellars said of her daughter’s death.
Bayli’s sister, Breann Anson, 16, said she’s also spoken briefly with police and has asked about the progress of the investigation.
“I just get, ‘It’s an ongoing investigation’ and that they’re sorry and they give us their condolences,” Anson said.
“I miss my sister. I want to know what happened.”
The family, said Kelly-Lyn Girard, Bayli’s aunt, just wants “any piece of information” that police could provide “to help us grieve.”
“We haven’t even been able to grieve because we have no closure,” Girard said.
Both the Chatham-Kent police department’s major crimes section and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office were called to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal blaze.
Investigators with Chatham-Kent police did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
The Ontario Fire Marshal did confirm Monday the investigation had concluded.
A spokesperson warned, however, that, “generally speaking, findings within the (Ontario Fire Marshal) report are not made public.”
The spokesperson said a freedom-of-information request was required to obtain more details about the investigation.
Despite their frustration with the police, the family still wants anyone who may know something about the fire or Bayli’s death to contact investigators.
If foul play is somehow involved in Bayli’s death, her family hadn’t seen any signs she was in danger.
“None of us saw this coming,” Sherri Sellars said.
Now, her aunt added, the family just wants justice for the young woman.
“She was just stolen from us, basically,” Girard said.