Shelter turned away deceased man - mother
Mary Hunter says her biological son Sterling sought refuge at Oak Centre hours before his remains were discovered at Fredericton landfill; she says police told her he froze to death
Cold and desperate for a warm place to sleep, Sterling Hunter, 29, pleaded with staff at a Fredericton shelter to let him sleep inside the facility, but he was turned away, says his mother.
Hours later, his body was discovered at the Fredericton landfill.
Mary Hunter is grieving the loss of her son, Sterling, to whom she gave birth almost 30 years ago. Her parents adopted him immediately, she said in an interview, raising him as her brother, though he eventually learned of the circumstances of his birth.
She said after Sterling’s body was found at the landfill, she went to the Oak Centre, where Sterling had stayed in the past, to see if any of his belongings were still there.
Hunter said to her surprise, a clerk at the uptown shelter told her Sterling had been there at about 2:30 a.m. March 11, asking to be allowed inside for the night.