Family of dead Lumby woman now in hiding, community rallying support [Video]

It’s been just over a week since Tatjana Stefanski’s body was found in a wooded area in the North Okanagan in the aftermath of what police have deemed a homicide and now her family has gone into hiding, a friend says.

“The family is afraid right now because they don’t know where (the suspect) is,” said Jen De Bourci, a family friend, on Monday.

“They’ve had friends offer them places to stay until it’s safe for them to go back home. … When you’re in shock and grief, not being able to feel safe on top of it, it is just appalling.”

While the suspect in Stefanski’s killing was arrested near where her body was discovered, police said in a press release that he was released shortly after on a series of conditions.

He was seen days later near Stefanski’s home, where her children and partner Jason Gaudreault still lived, De Bourci said. That’s when they left.

Gaudreault posts …