PART 1: Coming to Fleur De Lys

Fleur De Lys is a quiet fishing community on the Baie Verte peninsula in Newfoundland. In February, 2000, it was the focus of the entire province, country, and beyond. On February 6, 2000, 13-year-old Samantha Walsh went missing. People near and far searched, prayed and hoped. After 17 days, Samantha’s body was found murdered at the hands of Michael Lewis. The shock felt then still lingers in the close-knit community. Join me as I reflect on my brief time in Fleur De Lys, and the legacy of Samantha Walsh. This will be a three-part series.

I recently spent 3 days in Fleur De Lys, NL. My interest in true crime cases lured me here, but I found so much more. Over the past year I connected with Millie Walsh. As many of you know, Millie’s 13-year-old daughter Samantha (Sam) was murdered in February, 2000. At first, I sent Millie a few messages and emails. From there, we chatted about Samantha, that time period, and the lasting legacy to Sam – Samantha’s Saltwater Joys Museum and Café. I knew I had to go to Fleur De Lys.

We all have curiosities, a need to know. We search to understand the circumstances of horrendous crimes. “How could this happen HERE?” But try as I did, “understanding” was not possible. I needed to “see” places, visit the Samantha Walsh Saltwater Joys Museum and Café, talk to people who lived through Sam’s disappearance, who have struggled to find the faith and strength to move forward. As I told Millie, “I want to FEEL”. She understood completely.

Photo courtesy of Sean Kenny

As I drove into Fleur De Lys, it was obvious people took pride in their town, in their surroundings.  I saw firewood stacked more neatly than I thought possible. A small fishing community that was hopping with lobster and crab fisheries in full swing. “How could someone be murdered here?” I had read all there was to read on the murder of Samantha Walsh, narratives, recollections, press clippings. I read Gordon Walsh’s book, Into The Night, several times. I know the facts, but in reality I know nothing.

I came down a hill where it opens up to a view of the harbour. And there it is!!!! Sam’s Place. I immediately pull into the parking area. The unique design, purple and yellow in colour are unmistakable. Surreal. Everything about this place has a “feel”. Sad? Angry? Peaceful? At that point, I wasn’t sure; there was a flood of thoughts. This small oceanfront community has a voice, a collective memory that says, “WE HAVE A STORY TO TELL!”

Photo courtesy of Millie Walsh

I saw a man nearby and asked for directions to Millie Walsh’s place? When I planned to come here, I indicated to Millie I preferred to stay in Fleur De Lys, to wake up there in the morning, to experience it completely. At that time, Millie said, “we won’t see you stuck. We’ll find somewhere to poke you.” I would come to know quickly that her wit was as quick as her perceptiveness and her reflections. I was maybe a little bit nervous, more like anticipation. When Millie answered the door I was not met by a stranger; we were long past that despite just meeting for the first time. I was struck by how much Samantha looked like Millie. Millie was warm and welcoming from the start. She invited me in and she showed me the place. The view of the harbour was stunning. It was then I had to take stock – I am talking to the mother of Samantha Walsh, the girl who captivated the hearts of everyone, the girl who we all shed tears for at her loss.

Photo courtesy of Millie Walsh

There was a trust in being here, a respect I embraced. I asked Millie with hesitation where would Sam’s room have been. She opened the nearby door and said the largest portion was in the room I was looking. And, the other portion was in the room I would be sleeping. I knew then our conversations would be deep, the discussion around February of 2000, would be detailed, heartbreaking, and personal. They were all of that and more.

Shortly after arriving, I noted to Millie I was looking forward to seeing Sam’s Place. She said, “I think it’s important for you to see it the first time alone.” Absolutely. It is a wonderful thing to feel understood. I take my cue and with a floating feeling I head over to Samantha’s Saltwater Joys Museum and Café – Sam’s Place.  As I open the door, it strikes me immediately. This place is not sad, not morbid, it is vibrant just like Samantha! The design is amazing with beautiful wood, a floor that was stained with each tear-filled brush stroke. All around are pictures of Sam, so full of life, amazing depictions reflecting all she personified, the artwork of children as they expressed their concern and sadness in the most beautiful way.

There are many things that I find striking at Sam’s Place, things that touch me. Her skis mounted on the wall, her guitar which gave us the rendition of “Saltwater Joys” she recorded as a 10-year-old, a song that now stands as an anthem for the province. There are pictures of Sam as an infant, as she grew up, and the last school picture she had taken wearing a pink sweater, the same sweater George and Millie chose for her to wear as she rested in peace. The Broken Heart table, the four alcoves that allow for quiet time to sit, ponder and reflect. Upstairs the design is stunning. The windows overlook a harbour where people toil, but I am drawn to one item – Sam’s backpack from school. It remains here, still filled with Sam’s things, looking as though it is ready to go for another day in the life of a vibrant 13-year-old.

Although I felt like I “knew Samantha”, knew of the heartache of her loss, of the violent actions that took her life, I did not know “who she was”, nor what she meant to her family and friends. How did her murder affect the community? Up to then I did not know of the fun-filled antics between her and her now late dad, George Walsh, nor of the enduring resilience of Millie Walsh to ensure Sam’s Place was a true reflection of grace, joy, and an amazing legacy, a place of healing for Fleur De Lys, and a beacon of hope for visitors near and far.

After I return to Millie’s house, I am filled with more questions. Yet, Sam’s Place has struck me deeply, very deeply. As we sit and eat, Millie says, “You can ask me anything”; and so it begins.  We talk of her late husband George. It feels like I am “meeting him” too. We bounce around from topic to topic, but we always come back to Sam’s disappearance, the heartbreaking search for 17 days, the desperation, the despair, the faint hope, and the discovery of her body 8 kilometres in the woods. That was the day their world stopped turning.

I write on yet I will never find the words to share what I’ve experienced. There is so much I am yet to see, so much more to feel. As the day draws to a close, I am grateful to have come to Fleur De Lys.

Coming soon, Part 2 of Sam’s Place: Remembering Samantha Walsh. On day 2 of my time in Fleur De Lys, Millie Walsh helps me retrace Samantha’s last evening as she left her nan’s to walk home to do a bit of homework. We dig deeper into the antics of Sam’s murderer, and Millie takes me to Samantha’s gravesite.

Photo courtesy of Millie Walsh