Dear GayCalgary Readers,

I am writing to you in regards to our tragic loss of Dennis Barreira on January 19th, 2014.  As Constable Andy Buck posted in the February issue, rumours and speculations are easy to come by, but leads and witnesses are what is needed.

We know that Dennis was very active within the gay community and socially active, so we would like to put out a plea to the community to please come forward if you have any information, even if you just saw him briefly or talked to him through phone or social media sometime during the weekend that he died, please come forward and talk to the police even if you believe it may not be completely relevant.

We lost him far too early and it has become unfathomable dealing with the fact that his death was not of natural causes, but the result of someone else’s actions. We know that the police are actively pursuing this case, but we are afraid that if no new information comes through soon, his homicide may not be solved.

Dennis is very much loved and missed by his family and we feel helpless not being able to offer any more than what we have.  His 80 year old mother is having a very difficult time as Dennis was always there for her when she needed him and this week Dennis would have become a great uncle for the first time. He is badly missed, but knowing that the person/s responsible for this is still free is unfathomable.

Unfortunately, we have no details to share, other than what the police have publically stated; the cause of death and any possible motive have been kept from us as well.

In an accident or natural death, people have closure.  They can grieve their loss and, though difficult, are able to move on.  Without knowing who is responsible or why this has happened, there is no closure. Someone took a son, a brother, an uncle, a great-uncle, a friend. We have no closure, no end to what has become a surreal nightmare for us. We know that someone has the answers and, though it will not ease the grief of losing Dennis, at least our family will have peace in knowing that the person or people responsible will have been dealt with.

If you have any information, please come forward. Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous should you be nervous about speaking out.

Thank you,

The Barreira family