It is now day 22 of the search for a missing five-year-old boy from Red Earth Cree Nation.
Frank Young was last seen in front of his home, 300 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon, on the afternoon of April 19. He was also seen at a playground in the northern part of the community.
At the time, Young was living with his aunt and uncle. The boy’s parents live in Shoal Lake Cree Nation.
In an update today, Red Earth Cree’s first nation leader Fabian Head said he remains hopeful. He said he was grateful for the continued support from volunteers and chefs, and also thanked the elders for offering their wisdom as the search continued.
But that hope may fade.
Edward Dutch Lerat, second deputy head of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), said the organization was very concerned about Young’s family.
“We continue to hope and pray that Frank is found safe. However, over time, our hopes fade,” Lerat said.
Calls for a warning system for the local population
The RCMP still says there are no signs of abduction. They say all advice is followed.
“We are still receiving advice at this time. Many of them are visions or dreams, but they are followed. And so far, none of this advice has given us any information about what happened to Frank, “said Sergeant Richard Tonge, of the RCMP’s Carrot River Squad.
Defenders, meanwhile, are calling for a warning system for locals. Groups of the first nations say separate reports are needed to help find missing indigenous people whose disappearance does not meet the criteria for an amber signal.
“There is a lack of information and when the local population disappears, it is not taken seriously,” said Ali Bear, the third deputy head of the FSIN.
“It’s just us and we do the Facebook posts, but it’s not the same as warning the whole community.”
FSIN’s third deputy chief, Ali Bear, told Red Dresses Day that there should be a warning system specifically for missing indigenous people. (Adam Hunter / CBC)
The federation, which represents the 74 first nations in Saskatchewan, said an indigenous warning system was needed because Amber Alerts did not apply to all missing persons.
Amber Alerts are being sent on mobile phones, television and radio to inform the public and ask for help in finding a kidnapped child who is thought to be in danger.
The RCMP said Young’s disappearance still did not meet the Amber Alert criteria. But they said they sent SaskAlert.
“In addition, we had extensive social media posts that people shared. Now we have this media available and the message was there. “
Asked about calls for a warning system for the local population, the leader of the Shoal Lake Cree nation, Marcel Head, said he was not interested in it at the moment.
“At the moment we are not very sure what the focus will be. Our focus is specifically on Frank … I wouldn’t go there unless it’s really specific about looking for Frank. That should be the main focus right now, “said Marcel Head.
In a statement to the CBC, the Saskatchewan RCMP said the Carrot River RCMP is carefully considering – and regularly reassessing – all evidence and information.
“The important thing is to note that only because [Amber] no signal has been issued, this in no way diminishes how seriously we take the missing child signal. We have extensive, specialized RCMP resources dedicated to the search for Frank, “the statement said.
The search continues
Fabian Head said 92 square kilometers around the community were searched on Tuesday. This search includes 200 volunteers and 13 search teams.
Tong said he did not know when police would end the search. He said demand is assessed on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, the crew continues to focus their efforts on the Carrot River. Tonge said a helicopter flew over the body of water every other day.
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