Prince George suspicious death victim was 'a very caring person'

For the first time, friends and family of a woman who died under suspicious circumstances in Prince George are publicly identifying her, and looking for answers about what caused her death.

Mariluisa Goyas-Mycock, 42, was a mother of two from Peru who had recently started working as an educational assistant for kindergarten students at an inner-city Aboriginal-choice school.

Her death in early March is the subject of two investigations, but few details are being released.

• Prince George woman's death investigated by IIO
• Police probe suspicious death in Prince George, B.C.

The last time

The last time Maria Orcherton saw her friend Goyas-Mycock was at a get-together on Friday, March 4, 2016. The next day, Goyas-Mycock invited Ocherton to have coffee, but she declined.

They made plans to meet at Tim Hortons the next morning, but when Goyas-Mycock didn't arrive, Orcherton knew something was wrong.

"So I called [her] home and I heard the news and I couldn't believe. And still, I'm still in shock."

According to an RCMP release, police were called to the 1100 block of Alward Street shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday, March 5. They found one person on the scene, but were unable to locate a reported female victim until later. She died in hospital, and serious crimes began investigating.

In a second release, RCMP say "questions surfaced about a possible and yet to be confirmed connection to the initial police attendance and/or action taken. Therefore, as per existing protocols, the Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia (IIO BC) was notified immediately."

IIO spokesperson Marin Youseff confirmed they are investigating whether there is a connection between the death "and the actions or in-actions of police," but neither RCMP nor IIO have released the identity of the woman who died.

A devoted mother and friend

Raised in Tarma, Peru, Goyas-Mycock was the fourth of six children. She considered becoming a nun, but ultimately studied to be a dental assistant until the death of her father, when she was forced to drop out in order to help support her family. In 1998 she moved to Prince George to be with her future husband, Dan Mycock, whom she met through a distance dating service, according to friends.

The two were soon married, and had a daughter and son. Goyas-Mycock also helped her mother and two younger brothers move to Canada.

She was known to her friends as kind and devoted, and always willing to help anyone she could. Marina Molina was one of her closest friends.

"She was a great person...she was just in a bad place at a bad time."

'We want to know what happened to her'

A small cross has been erected near the site where police were first called to investigate the circumstances that led to Goyas-Mycock's death. A memorial is being planned there for Tuesday afternoon, exactly one month after she died. Another public memorial is being arranged at Christ Our Saviour Church for noon on Saturday, April 9.

"I want to [let the public know] how she was so important in our community," she Molina. "We want to know the truth of what happened to her, and also to leave for the kids and the family who she was. She was a great lady."