🚨 HEARTBREAKING NEW REVELATION in the Tumbler Ridge tragedy: A close friend just broke their silence about Jesse Van Rootselaar’s final video — and what they saw in her eyes is chilling. 💔😢

In newly surfaced late-night footage, Jesse stares straight into the camera, whispering words about “ending the pain”… a quiet cry that now feels like the warning no one fully heard.

The friend describes it this way: “I saw something broken in her eye.” That haunted look, the exhaustion, the despair — it was there, plain as day, but the world missed it.

Read more:

As the community continues to mourn the loss of eight lives in last week’s devastating events, a close friend of 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar has come forward with an emotional account of what they describe as her final video post — a late-night recording that now stands as a haunting glimpse into her state of mind.

The friend, speaking anonymously to media outlets to protect their privacy amid the intense scrutiny, recounted viewing the clip shortly after it surfaced online in the days following the February 10 incident. In the footage, recorded in the quiet hours of the night, Van Rootselaar looks directly into the camera and speaks softly about wanting to “end the pain.” The friend said the words carried a weight that felt desperate yet resigned.

“I saw something broken in her eye,” the friend told reporters. “It wasn’t just sadness — it was like everything inside her had cracked, and she couldn’t hide it anymore. That look… I’ll never forget it. It was a warning we all missed.”

The video, which has been verified by multiple sources including CNN and local outlets, aligns with fragments of Van Rootselaar’s broader online presence. Archived posts and deleted accounts on platforms like YouTube and Reddit showed a teenager grappling with deep personal struggles. References to suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depression, ADHD, autism spectrum traits, OCD, and substance use appeared intermittently, often alongside discussions of identity challenges during her transition, which began around age 12.

Police have confirmed Van Rootselaar’s history of mental health concerns, including multiple interactions with authorities under British Columbia’s Mental Health Act. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) noted welfare checks and apprehensions at the family home in recent years, with the most recent in spring 2025. Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald described these as responses to risks of self-harm and other crises, though no long-term inpatient care was detailed publicly.

The friend’s statement adds a personal layer to the emerging picture. They described Van Rootselaar as someone who often kept to herself, especially after dropping out of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School about four years earlier. “She was quiet, kept things inside,” the friend said. “But in that video, it all came out — the exhaustion, the isolation. I wish I’d reached out more.”

Social media archives paint a complex portrait. A 2021 Facebook post by her mother, Jennifer Strang (also known as Jennifer Jacobs), promoted Van Rootselaar’s now-deleted YouTube channel, highlighting content on hunting, self-reliance, and firearms — interests common in rural British Columbia. Other entries referenced waiting for hormone therapy, body image frustrations, and an “addictive” pull toward violent or intense online content.

Strang herself had been vocal online about supporting transgender youth. In a July 2024 Instagram video, she urged parents and others to “get your s*** together” and reduce hate, saying she didn’t want children raised “in a world full of hatred.” Those words now carry added poignancy given the family’s fate.

Court documents from a 2015 family dispute reveal a childhood marked by instability. A British Columbia Supreme Court judge described the family’s life as “almost nomadic,” with frequent moves between Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia locations like Grand Cache and Powell River. The ruling criticized unilateral relocations that limited contact with the biological father, Justin Van Rootselaar.

In a public statement after the tragedy, the father expressed profound grief while noting his complete estrangement. “I was not part of his life,” he wrote. “His mother declined my involvement from the beginning.”

Neighbors and community members have spoken of a household where concerns simmered quietly. One recalled a 2023 incident involving a small home fire after substance use, leading to brief psychiatric intervention. Guns were part of everyday rural life, with photos showing cabinets of hunting rifles, but no prior overt violence was reported.

RCMP investigators continue analyzing digital evidence, including the late-night video and other posts, as part of the motive inquiry. No manifesto or explanatory note has been released, and McDonald has cautioned against speculation. “We are still in the early stages,” he said at a recent briefing. “The investigation is thorough and ongoing.”

The friend’s decision to speak reflects a growing sentiment among those who knew Van Rootselaar: that her pain was visible yet somehow overlooked. Mental health advocates in Canada have pointed to broader systemic issues — long wait times for therapy, limited rural resources, and debates over youth gender care — as potential contributing factors, though no direct causal link has been established in this case.

Tumbler Ridge, a mining town of about 2,400, remains in deep mourning. Vigils continue, support funds grow, and federal officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, have pledged resources for recovery. The loss of five middle-school students, a teacher’s aide, Strang, and her 11-year-old son Emmett has left families shattered.

As more fragments of Van Rootselaar’s inner world emerge — through videos, posts, and now a friend’s tearful reflection — the question lingers: Could intervention have made a difference? The broken look in her eyes, as described, serves as a somber reminder of the human cost when cries for help go unheard.

For now, authorities stress patience as forensic work and interviews proceed. In a tragedy defined by silence and sorrow, the final video stands as one more piece of an incomplete puzzle — a whisper of pain that echoes louder in hindsight.