Friends shocked after woman killed in intimate partner violence in Sudbury

Carol Fournier's childhood friends remember her as a caring, beautiful soul.

"If anyone was going through something, she was the first one to volunteer to be there with you," said Kelly Villars, friends with Fournier since age 12.

Villars said Fournier was proud of her career as a PSW and loved her children more than anything in the world.

Fournier, 40, was killed Nov. 8. Her body was found in a wooded area in Sudbury.

Police later discovered a second body in the same area belonging to Rick Jones, Fournier’s former partner. Police also revealed that Fournier's death was the result of intimate partner violence (IPV).

Her loss of life came within a month of another IPV tragedy in Sault Ste. Marie, where four people, including three children, were killed. It also follows a few days after the City of Greater Sudbury joined multiple other northern Ontario cities in seeking to declare IPV an epidemic.

Villars and another childhood friend, Leo Martel, said they are still shocked by the news of her death.

"I don’t think anybody expected anything like this to happen and I think that’s the main message is that you don’t expect it to happen and when it does you question what you could have done or why didn’t she reach out," said Villars.

“The aftermath is difficult to deal with.”

Carol Fournier's childhood friends remember her as a caring, beautiful soul. (Photo courtesy of Leo Martel)

Villars and Martel attended Fournier's funeral on Tuesday in Timmins. They have set up a GoFundMe page to support the family and to help pay funeral expenses.

Tiffany Pyoli York, anti-human trafficking coordinator and public educator with Sudbury and Area Victim Services, said raising awareness of the supports available for victims and their families is a step in the right direction.

Pyoli York said a safety plan is implemented for anyone experiencing gender-based violence, which includes IPV, family violence and human trafficking.

"Our safety plans include work, home, extracurriculars in the community, having those safety plans when you go about your life,” Pyoli York said.

'MAKING SURE SOMEONE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE'

“So making sure someone knows where you are, checking in, having safety items like alarms and security systems in your home … A lot of the times we go over things that folks may already be doing. Using a better entrance in the evening. Changing your routines. Things that people are already doing but they might not realize that’s an active piece in keeping me safe."

Pyoli York said, on average, it takes a person experiencing gender-based violence seven times to leave their situation. She said gender-based violence presents itself in many different forms and safety plans are tailored to the individual and their situation.

She said many underplay their experiences and don't believe they qualify for a safety plan. Others aren't yet ready to leave and don't believe they need one.

"Safety planning can include working up to leaving or staying in that situation and how can we best make you … safer than what you are right now," she said.

"Whatever your situation is, whatever that spectrum is, you are valued and you deserve these services."

Pyoli York encourages people to have open conversations about IPV.

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"It's happening in our communities, our friend circles. It looks different for every situation," she said.

"Don’t undermine your experience. Because it's your experience. Reach out whenever, wherever possible."