Family and friends gathered Saturday morning at a church in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, north of Montreal, to pay their final respects to Natasha Cournoyer, the 37-year-old woman found dead in Montreal's east end earlier this month.
"She's going to be greatly missed because she had a lot of friends. It's really sad," said family friend Maureen Bell.
Cournoyer's grief-stricken mother sobbed as she touched her daughter's casket outside of the church.
"You have to say life goes on, but I don't know what I would do if I would be in her shoes," said Bell.
During the service, Cournoyer was described a caring woman, who loved to dance and travel.
"She had fun. She welcomed people. She was caring," said Father Ronald Labonte, who presided over the funeral service.
Mysterious disappearance
The Corrections Canada employee vanished after leaving her workplace in Laval on Oct. 1.
A security camera caught Cournoyer exiting the building, and it is believed someone attacked her as she was heading toward her car in the parking lot around 8 p.m.
With the help of the Surete du Quebec, Laval police launched a large-scale investigation,
using helicopters and sniffer dogs to help search for the missing woman.
On Oct. 6, blue collar workers discovered Cournoyer's body in a wooded area in Pointe-Aux-Trembles, in Montreal's east end.
Montreal police have taken over the homicide investigation.
Anyone with information about Natasha Cournoyer's murder is asked to call Info-Crime at 514-393-1133.
