Senior Citizen Disappears, House & All!

Moncton's most talked about resident of last week finally met her tragic end when the entire structure of her 200 year-old home came crashing down on her last midnight.

The scene of this morning in North-Eastern Moncton;
what's left of 84 year-old, Gertrude broomstick's home.

In the early morning, at approximately 12 AM neighbours along the Shediac Road reported hearing load creaking noises coming from the direction of the building that had been assessed and deemed unsafe last Thursday.  The home had belonged to Gertrude Broomsticks, a widow, 84 years of age.  Residents of Shediac Road have been trying for months to convince the elderly woman that she needed to  relocate somewhere else, but she was resistant.  No traces of human remains were found, as of yet.  It is believed that heavy gusts of 90 km/hr wind had a part to play in the destruction of her home.

"Normally in this kind of situation, where the individual is resistant to authority, encouraging is far from enough." say Francisco Lord of the New Brunswick structural assessment comity.  He believes that proper procedures where not executed in trying to get the non-compliant women to move, calling it a disgrace to his line of work.  "There should have been more done in the situation where the home owner's life was in danger.  She shouldn't have had a choice.  This women is (most likely) dead and we could have prevented it." 

Police are now sifting through the massive pile of rubble, a mess of wood and crumbling cement, what is left of the home, in hopes of finding Mrs. Broomsticks.  Upon asking one of the officers if he would like to comment, he said "Well, there isn't much to say.  Things aren't looking too good.  (We've) been searching since one, and so far -nothing." 

Throughout the neighbourhood, there are mixed feelings for the loss of the elderly women.  Stories are shared between residents of Mrs. Broomsticks, the mysterious lady who had no next of kin since the passing of her husband, Reginald, some 30 years ago.  All of the North-East Moncton community seems to be effected in some way. 

"We tried to tell her, really, we did." Says Amelia Petters a 35 year-old mother of two.  She is clearing her lawn of debris this morning with her son.  Both are home today, shaken by the events of last night.  "She made it obvious that she didn't want our help.  When we offered to take her to that new retirement home just on down the street, she threatened to turn us into frogs!  She wasn't all that there."

We spoke with Ms. Broomstick last Saturday, three days after she was told that her house was unstable. "Why's anyone got's to move 'round here.  Ain't none of their business where I live." she said in an interview with the Blackville Talon that evening while sitting around her kitchen table.  "I'll leave on my own time, I will!" 

Police are ruling out any kind of foul play in this case, however, officers say that there is a possibility that she was not in her house at all during the time of the collapse.  They are urging anybody with information that could aid in the search for Gertrude Broomsticks or her body to please come forward. 

We asked Billy, the son of Amelia Petters, what he felt about the disappearance of Ms. Broomsticks, and as his theory stands, "she probably melted."