Police probe Hornby Island performer's death

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/11/19/b...

The quiet community of Hornby Island, B.C., has been rocked by the death of a popular young performer, whose body was found floating at a local marina on Wednesday morning.

Investigators have been combing Ford's Cove Marina, located off the east coast of Vancouver Island, where the body of Tempest Grace Gale, 25, was reportedly pulled from the water by her boyfriend.

Police have confirmed the death was sudden and will not rule out foul play until they know the results of an autopsy, scheduled for Friday.

A person of interest, who was taken into custody and questioned, was released Thursday, police said.

Douglas would not identify who the person of interest was, but family friends said it was a man who they claimed had been following Gale's parents for the past week.

Others on the island suggested Gale may have slipped on the pier — she lived on a boat at the marina — and fallen in the water accidentally.

Remembered as a performer

After the body was discovered the tightly knit northern Gulf Island community opened up its community hall to let residents grieve her death.

Friend Melisa Devost said Gale was a musician, poet and stilt-walker, who would be remembered as a popular performer.

"She often busked at the farmer's market on the island and often that was on her stilts. She was also an amazing stilt walker and she would do spoken word on her stilts in full costume or maybe it was with her banjo … she was incredibly prolific and incredibly versatile," Devost said.

Gale was often seen riding her unicycle or playing in the folk-punk group the Killer Bagels with her parents, Devost said.

"You know, I've seen her perform many times and performed with her," Devost said, "but she just was so captivating and so honest and true in her delivery and genuine — probably the most genuine person I could think of."