It's a question Donna Leslie often asks herself - what would she have done differently?
If she could do it all over again, what steps would she have taken to prevent her daughter from meeting up with what turned out to be a date with death?
On the evening of Nov. 27, 2010, Loren Donn Leslie was in the bedroom of the Vanderhoof apartment where she had been living with her mother, exchanging text messages with a "Cody," someone she had met about two weeks before on Nexopia, a website aimed at young people.
Leslie eventually invited him to meet with her at a local elementary school and in response, he urged her not to tell anyone. And she didn't, choosing instead to tell her mother that she was going out for coffee with a girlfriend.
As it was a Saturday night, Donna sent her on her way with a reminder that she needed to be home by 1 a.m. Looking back, her response would have been much different.
"I would have followed her to the Timmy's, made sure she was having coffee with her girlfriend," Donna Leslie said in an interview. "But I just trusted her."
Sometime after midnight, Donna got the kind of call from police that every parent dreads. The body of her legally-blind, 15-year-old daughter had been found in an isolated area off Highway 27, midway between Vanderhoof and Fort St. James. A young man - Cody Allan Legebokoff - had been arrested for her murder.
"I go around and around about that and I carry a guilt that probably doesn't belong to me," Donna Leslie said.
If there is a bright side, it's that Legebokoff has not killed again. He was eventually charged and convicted of four first-degree murders in the deaths of Leslie, Jill Stacey Stuchenko and Cynthia Frances Maas, both 35, and Natasha Lynn Montgomery, 23.
He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without eligibility for parole for 25 years. Because the clock started ticking when he was arrested, Legebokoff will be just 45 years old when he can apply for full parole.
Donna Leslie, who is remarkably candid about troubles with alcohol that began before her daughter's death, went into a tailspin after that day.
"After that happened, I lost my mind and spent I don't know how many weeks or months in the psychiatric unit," said Leslie, who now lives in the Association Advocating for Women and Children shelter in downtown Prince George.
"And I was in and out of detox and I was in and out of jail and I started fainting, so I was in and out of hospital. It tore my whole world apart."
The most recent anniversary of Loren's death did not go by easily. Although she was unable to get out to see the memorial cross for Loren on the side of Highway 27, she held up well on the day. But the next day she got herself into some alcohol-fueled trouble and spent the night in RCMP cells.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Her son, who has completed his trades training, is working to have his mother moved into his apartment.
As for Legebokoff, Donna said she's just glad he's behind bars.
"I think he's insane," she said. "I feel very sorry for him because I don't think he can help himself."
Just like she lost her daughter, Donna said the Legebokoffs, a prominent family in Fort St. James, have effectively lost a son. At one point she tried reaching out to them, "because I thought it might be easier to work through our grief together and they told me 'don't call back here ever again.'"
Loren's father, and Donna's ex-husband, Doug Leslie, meanwhile, is holding out better. For one thing, he does not have the substance abuse issues that have saddled his former spouse. For another, he's working to turn his daughter's death into something positive through the Loren Donn Leslie Foundation. Among the initiatives the foundation is working to establish a youth leadership program "to give kids a more positive outlook on life."
Contrary to how she was portrayed in court, Doug Leslie said Loren was actually an exceptional young lady. "Awesome, caring and just like on the [Foundation's] mission statement, 'treating people with dignity, compassion and respect.' That was her life," Leslie said.
She loved swimming and boating and, despite her poor vision, she achieved a blue belt in karate.
Of course, the Leslies were not the only parents of Legebokoff's victims who sat through the trial.
Although her blood was found throughout Legebokoff's apartment, Natasha Lynn Montgomery's body was never found. Her mother, Louanne Montgomery, was at the trial every day hoping to glean clues as to where Natasha's body may have been left, only to strike dead ends.
When she gave her victim impact statement after the jury found Legebokoff guilty, Louanne spoke of frequent and debilitating "meltdowns" since the loss. Finding her daughter's body has become an obsession.
Louanne said this month she has yet to return to work.
"I am still trying to come to terms with everything," she said. "I had my heart set on getting Natasha's remains from this trial. I feel traumatized by it all, I have many sleepless nights. I also feel the justice system has failed me. Cody may have been convicted but he doesn't have to give up where my daughter is. He can use it as power, he still has control in a sick demented way."
Judy Maas, the sister of another Legebokoff victim, Cynthia Frances Maas, also sat through the entire trial and came away no fan of the adversarial system of justice used in Canadian courts.
"To give a fair trial to the accused meant a free rein to bully witnesses, damage and re-victimize victims who cannot defend themselves or families who have to bear the negative outcomes," she said.
