‘Kind-hearted, strong-willed’: Ashley Burke’s daughter vows to carry on Mother’s memory
Posted January 8, 2025 9:36 pm.
Last Updated January 8, 2025 9:40 pm.
Abbey Robson remembers this picture fondly.
“Christmas Eve was never Christmas Eve,” said Robson, daughter of Ashley Burke. “It was always my mom’s birthday.”
Born in Nova Scotia, Robson and her mom, Ashley Burke, started a new life in the Edmonton area when she was 10 years old.
Both leaned on each other for support.
“We go for long drives and I would talk to her,” said Robson. “I helped her a lot the last few years.”
“I did the best I could obviously I have regrets,” she added. “I could have done a lot more, I feel like I failed her in a way as her daughter.”
The last time Robson talked to her mother was a few days after her birthday.
Shortly after, on Dec. 30, Burke’s body was found near the North Saskatchewan river.
“She would always call again,” said Robson. “So I’m still in shock like I think ‘oh my mom is going to call me’.”
A 31-year-old man was charged with second degree murder.
Edmonton police call the death an “intimate partner homicide,” but Robson says it was a complex friendship.
She says she has not been told the exact cause of death. Police have said they’re not releasing this information due to “investigative reasons.”
Robson says she tried her best to get help for her mom, although there were challenges.
“I think family, friends, and the children of these people need to take those signs seriously,” she explained.
According to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, domestic violence is considered an “epidemic.”
The council says a woman is killed in Canada by an intimate partner about every four days.
Robson’s message to people experiencing domestic violence or toxic relationships is to reach out for help.
“Get out of that situation as best you can,” she said.
The 20-year-old wants to make sure her mother’s memory stays alive — she says Burke will not be defined by her struggles.
“A very kind hearted woman,” said Robson. “And she was strong willed and she would do anything for her and I.”
“She was willing to give me the best opportunities.”
