‘We will not forget’: Sask. RCMP vows commitment as community honours missing loved ones

“We will never get to that end stage of our grief until she comes home,” Odgers said.

“It’s kind of like a mourning stage. At first, it was, she’s just, you know, wherever. Then you go through that, ‘No, you’re mad because this is happening.’ And it’s like you go through all of the stages.”

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Odgers said years of organizing walks and vigils for Morin have connected her with families across Saskatchewan facing the same uncertainty.

“Every time you turn around, there’s somebody new that’s either missing or unalive,” she said.

“To me, I’ve always said it’s a pandemic and I will still continue to say that because it’s just getting worse and worse.”

According to the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police, there are currently 153 long-term missing persons cases in the province.

“This isn’t just us. It’s all nationalities,” Odgers said. “And unless we band together to stop this, it will continue.”

An RCMP officer holds a candle during a vigil in North Battleford on May 5, 2026, marking Missing Persons Week and the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People. (Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

As families gathered in North Battleford, Saskatchewan RCMP said missing persons investigations continue daily behind the scenes, even after public attention fades.

“There’s a few myths out there in terms of reporting missing persons,” said Ashley St. Germaine, senior investigative officer with the Saskatchewan RCMP major crimes branch.

“That would be, they have to be missing for a certain period of time. That is not the case.”

St. Germaine urged people to contact police “as soon as something feels off,” saying investigators are more likely to locate someone safely when reports come quickly.

“We’re more likely to get impactful evidence and leads to find somebody the sooner that they’re reported missing,” she said. “So 24 hours, 48 hours, could make all the difference in finding somebody.”

She said another misconception is that only relatives can file a missing persons report.

“You don’t have to,” St. Germaine said.

“If it’s somebody that you know that you haven’t heard from, and you think that something is off, absolutely phone the RCMP, and let us know so we can start looking into things for you.”

According to St. Germaine, Saskatchewan ranks first in Canada for missing children and second for missing adults, based on the National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains data, although police locate 99 per cent of missing people quickly.

She said the “vast majority” of missing persons investigations are resolved within hours or days, but about 86 files remain open across Saskatchewan RCMP jurisdiction.

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

RCMP continue using drones, boats, search-and-rescue partnerships and advancements in DNA technology in missing persons investigations, she said. Police agencies across Canada also work together when investigations cross provincial boundaries.

“If there’s information that somebody is in another jurisdiction, or that there’s information that we need from another jurisdiction, all of the police agencies work together to try to bring closure to the families,” St. Germaine said.

She added even seemingly minor tips can become critical pieces of an investigation.

“It could be a very small piece of information that somebody doesn’t think is very important or very meaningful, and that might be the one piece of information that the police needed in order to put the puzzle together,” she said.

Some investigations continue for decades. St. Germaine said one unresolved Saskatchewan missing persons case dates back to 1935. She added that RCMP historical case investigators continue following up on new information in long-standing cases.

“The families never forget, and neither do we,” she said. “We have not forgotten, and we will not forget.”

Odgers said relationships between some families and RCMP have improved over time.

“Ten years ago, I would say obsolete,” she said when asked about police support.

“Since the new inspector has come in [referring to Ryan How of the Battlefords detachment], there has been like a total 360 done with the support.”

She said community support helps families continue searching for answers long after cases leave headlines.

“There’s strength in numbers,” Odgers said. “The more people that show, the better.”

Despite the years that have passed since Morin disappeared, Odgers said families continue organizing searches, walks and vigils because the uncertainty never disappears.

“We’re family. Aboriginal families, your cousin is your brother,” she said.

“So for us, this like my sister is missing.”

“And I will continue doing this as long as I can on behalf of my cousin.”

(Image Credit: Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

‘We will not forget’: Sask. RCMP vows commitment as community honours missing loved ones

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