NORTH BATTLEFORD — Family members and supporters shed tears and reached out to others during the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Walk on Monday.
The event was organized by Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs (BATC).
Participants walked from the Atoskewin Success Centre in North Battleford to downtown, and then to Central Park beside the North Battleford Library.
North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin also took part in the walk.
On the evening of May 5, the city's water tower was illuminated in red to recognize the Red Dress Day, a National Day of Remembrance and activism for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ people (MMIWG2S+).
"The mayor and council stand in support with all of the families here today," Hawtin said.
Janine Morin, sister of missing North Battleford woman Ashley Morin, said it’s a moving day.
"It's very emotional," she said. "It should be more than once a year to have our community come together to raise awareness for every missing and murdered person in our community."
Ashley Morin disappeared in July 2018.
While there haven't been any new tips, Janine urged anyone who knows something to speak up.
"Please come forward; speak up," she said. "There's a $30,000 reward. You can [provide a tip] anonymously and call Crime Stoppers."
The passage of time doesn’t get any easier for the family, she said.
"We do want closure," Janine said. "We're going to continue searching, and we're hoping to bring [Ashley] home, whatever that may look like. We just need that source of peace, source of closure."
Other families attending the walk included the mother of missing man Branden Baptiste/Morin from Saulteaux First Nation.
His mother, Beverley Morin, noted that Branden went missing in May 2022 in North Battleford.
She said the walk and coming together with the community "gives me a relief."
"I haven't known where to turn and how to go about trying to find him," Morin said. "I've tried Facebook and the police. I haven't had any results in finding him yet."
Vanessa, auntie of Tanisha Pritchard, is also looking for answers. She did not wish to disclose her last name.
She said her niece died in a house fire in North Battleford in June 2024 after she went missing.
Two days after the fire, Tanisha's remains were found.
Vanessa believes Tanisha was the victim of a murder and wants to know what happened to her niece.
"If anyone knows anything, say something," she said.
