Sally Wang
It was around 9 pm on June 13, 2023, when the Prince Rupert RCMP were called to a modest home on Silverside Drive, a residential street tucked away from the main roads of Rupert.
“When you’re a small community at the end of Highway 16 and everybody knows everybody, we all feel this particularly hard.”
Jennifer Rice, North Coast MLA
When officers entered the home, they found all four members of the family—Janet Nguyen, 35; Christopher Duong, 38; Alexander, 4; and Harlan, 2—dead. The shock rippled through our city, with many of us wondering how this could have happened here.
“Any death in any community is one too many. And when you’re a small community at the end of Highway 16 and everybody knows everybody, we all feel this particularly hard,” said North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice.
At the time, police did not release details about how the bodies were discovered or the cause of death, but said there is no risk to the public and no suspects outstanding.
“What the RCMP have said publicly is really all we know for sure,” said Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond. “It’s easy to get ahead of them and start making some assumptions… but clearly it’s a tragedy.”
The coroner’s inquest, now scheduled for October 2025, marks the first time the events of June 2023 will be publicly examined in detail. In British Columbia, a jury of five to seven community members conducts inquests.
Presiding coroner Larry Marzinzik, together with a jury, will hear evidence presented under oath to determine the circumstances of the deaths. The hope is that, by making the process public, the community will find answers—and, perhaps, a measure of peace.
As Prince Rupert prepares for this long-awaited inquest, residents are bracing for difficult days ahead, but also for the possibility of closure.
