Hi there and welcome to my Memorial Page which is dedicated to the memory of Jessica Russell. Even though I didn't personally know her or her family, the pain is felt throughout BC and Canada. Jessica, aged 9 lived in Maple Ridge, BC (which is a suburb of Vancouver) and went to school at Mount Crescent Elementary. Police said she was last seen in the company of Trott (whom was known to Jessica's family) while on her way to school on Thursday, May 6, 2000. A coroner's report says Jessica Russell was strangled before she was left to burn in a trailer fire outside Mission, B.C. RCMP in British Columbia charged David Trott 20, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of the nine-year-old girl. He has been remanded in custody until May 23. No plea will be entered until then. On Friday, May 5, her body was found inside a burning mobile home not far from Mission, a city in the Fraser Valley. Trott, 20, was arrested on Sunday in Kamloops. Police thanked the media and the public for reporting on the case and for calling in tips. Relatives say they knew he was a disturbed individual and that he has fetal alcohol syndrome, a mentally disabling birth defect. Trott was released last Tuesday on probation on a number of charges, including possession of stolen property, assault and uttering threats. He apparently told a provincial court judge at a sentencing hearing May 2 that he wanted to see a psychiatrist, but the waiting list was too long. He was freed despite that and a request by a social worker for more time to perform an assessment. I will be updating this page with any new information that I receive. Before you go, please sign the guestbook with your feelings about this tragedy and any words of condolences you would like to share. Let's keep Jessica's memory alive, thank you very much.
