Crystal Saunders, killed 18 years ago, was a 'beautiful little girl' who 'just got lost': mother

WARNING: This story contains details of addictions and violence against women.

It's been nearly 18 years since Crystal Saunders was found dead, but her mother has never stopped crying for her 24-year-old daughter.

Sandra Saunders says for years, she called RCMP three times a week looking for answers about Crystal — until last year, when Mounties charged Kevin Queau with second-degree murder in connection with the Métis woman's 2007 death.  

"I almost fainted. It was like the first day when they told me that they found my daughter dead," said Sandra. "It was reliving it again. And I've been struggling to stay alive. Every day, I struggle to live another day."

Search warrant documents recently obtained from court by CBC News lay out an elaborate undercover "Mr. Big" sting by police, intended to get Queau comfortable enough to talk about Saunders's death and his potential involvement in it.

Queau's trial begins in September, more than 18 years after the body of Crystal Saunders was found in a water-filled ditch near St. Ambroise, a small community at the southern end of Lake Manitoba.

The last known sighting of Saunders was in Winnipeg's West End on April 18, 2007. That's when a Winnipeg Police Service officer spotted her getting into a red vehicle. 

Sandra Saunders said her daughter enjoyed life and was "just so lovable."

"Crystal was so outgoing. She was beautiful. She was smart, very smart," she said.

She remembers the day her daughter Crystal was born, right down to the bus ride she took to Misericordia Hospital while in labour. She remembers that her brother Robert immediately fell in love with Crystal, and that he was the first to hold the baby when she came home. 

Crystal attended elementary school at Strathcona School in Winnipeg's William Whyte neighbourhood, and then went to St. John's High School.

Photos help remind Sandra of her little girl's happier days. She speaks fondly about a picture of her daughter smiling while aboard the River Rouge boat, and a snapshot taken at Camp Arnes, where Crystal was in the kitchen cooking with her best friend. 

Crystal's smile and loveable nature belied her tumultuous home life. She lived with her maternal grandparents — who have since died — for extended periods. 

"I'm not going to say it was a perfect home — you know, because it wasn't. My parents were alcoholics," Sandra said.