A Father’s Need to be Heard
John T. Fox is a dad who just wants answers to his daughter’s death. He’s a dad who wants and needs to be heard.
Cheyenne Fox was only 20 years old when she fell to her death on April 25, 2013. She allegedly jumped from the 24th floor of a Toronto Highrise. It is a theory that John Fox rejects. For a while he pursued a lawsuit against the Toronto Police and the Attorney General of Canada but has placed that on hold as it is very expensive to pursue a lawsuit. However, he said he is still going forward with a civil lawsuit against a women’s shelter. It is claimed the shelter did not do enough to protect Cheyenne from an alleged sexual assault while she was a resident there.
When Cheyenne’s father was unable to register to testify at the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, he decided to write a book about his daughter. The Fire Within was written in 30 days. Once John sat down to write, the words poured out of him.
“I had everything in my head and needed to get it out,” he said.
“When you have a grieving parent and no one pays attention to a father, this is what happens.”
The Fire Within chronicles his life, Cheyenne’s short life, her death, and a call to support his fight for justice for not only missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls but men and boys as well.
On the day the National Inquiry was released in Ottawa, he stood outside in the cold for four hours, holding a sign saying: “I’m still waiting to be heard.” He hopes that feeling will subside as more people read his story.
The Fire Within is self-published and can be ordered through Dorrance Publishing.
Sharing the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls is important work. The team that brought you Taken worked hard to care for the women’s and their families’ stories. They have done their best to provide a platform to help shed light and perhaps bring new clues to their murders or disappearances. Some of these stories have been turned into a 10-part podcast series. We hope you will listen and share them with your networks, in the hope some of these crimes will be solved.
Kim Wheeler is a writer and publicist. She is the original writer/researcher for Taken. Her daughter, Katarina Ziervogel, is walking in her mom’s footsteps. Katarina also worked on Taken as a writer and social media producer. Kim is holding the doors open for her daughters to walk through.