'It's overwhelming,' woman helps Saint John homeless after cousin's murder

A Saint John woman is embarking on a lifelong mission to help the homeless after her cousin's charred remains were discovered in a remote outdoor shelter near North Vancouver last week.

"Trying to find meaning in something so horrible might help me get past this," Patti Chisholm said. "And we're definitely struggling to get past this."

Her cousin, 42-year-old Lisa MacPherson, was identified Monday as the victim of what seems to be a gruesomemurder.

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Her burnt remainswere found in a heavily wooded areaandpolice haven't released a cause of death or announced arrests.

MacPherson was the daughter ofSaint John resident MarilynMacPherson, Chisholm's aunt.

Chisholm said the remains were found in late November, but her cousin wasn't reported as missing until a week later.

"They had to identify her with DNA and dental records," she said.

MacPherson described as beautiful and full of life

MacPhersonsuffered from bipolar disorder and while her family hoped she would overcome it, it wasn't unusual for her to go missing for long stretches of time, Chisholm said.

In her hands, she holds a photo of her cousin, a blonde with a bright smile.

Patti Chisholm on her cousin's addiction issues

8 years ago

Duration 0:45

A Saint John woman is embarking on a lifelong mission to help the homeless after her cousin's charred remains were discovered in a remote outdoor shelter near North Vancouver last week.

Chisholm describes her as someone who could be beautiful and full of life.

"And when she was on medication and when she was not using, she was," she said with tears in her eyes.

When police released her photo Monday, an officer said MacPherson "led a transient lifestyle, and did not have a fixed address."

Helping people without homes

Because of this, Chisholm has now decided to make helping the homeless in Saint John a lifelong mission. She hopes she can prevent similar acts of violence from happening here.

"It's overwhelming," she said. "I think people think of homeless people and addicted people as disposable people and they're not."

Through social media, Chisholm is now looking to collect supplies like toiletries, cleaning supplies and men's underwear to bring to the Outflow Men's Shelter on Waterloo Street.

She reached out to other shelters, but Outflow is the only one thatreplied to her as of Friday, she said.

She'salso trying to start an initiative where people who travel for work pick up and donate the complimentary toiletries from hotels.

The University of New Brunswick satellite campus in Saint John, where Chisholm works, has agreed to be a drop off station for these donations.

The first day that she can drop of her supplies at the shelter will be a big day, she said.

"But I don't want this to be a one-day thing," she said.

In memory of MacPherson, herfamily is now planning on serving food at the shelter regularly.

Her cousin had a loving, supportive family, Chisholm said. But that also showed her that poor mental health, drugs and alcohol can lead people into homelessness.

And while changing the public's perception may be slow,Chisholmhopes her story will inspire others to see the humanity often lost through homelessness.

"Maybe just one person at atime," she said.