2 Indigenous women buried in 1970s identified through DNA analysis, Edmonton police say

Edmonton's police chief, Indigenous leaders and an elder offered condolences Friday to the families of two Indigenous women whose identities were unknown when they were buried in Edmonton cemeteries nearly half a century ago.

DNA testing has identified the women as Louise Laderoute, 24, and Irene Jacknife, 30.

Laderoute, a member of Papaschase First Nation, was reported missing from Edmonton before she died in 1975. Jacknife, reported missing from Drayton Valley, Alta., died a year later.

"We know that naming now is a bittersweet addition to the long saga of grief and pain. It's not easy, nor should it erase the pain of the loved ones who have suffered, or the decades of searching they have endured," police Chief Dale McFee said during a news conference.

"I wish that your loved ones could have [been] identified and, obviously, returned sooner."

The two women are the first to be identified through Project Match, a joint effort launched last year between the Edmonton Police Service, RCMP and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to review historical unidentified human remains investigations.

The EPS missing persons unit currently has 14 unsolved unidentified human remains files dating back to 1979.

Unsolved cases leave families grieving and traumatized for years, Det. Kevin Harrison, with the EPS historical crimes unit, said in a statement.

Through Project Match, the organizations are revisiting these files and applying today's technology and investigative lens to try to resolve them.

"It's not closure," said Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Arthur Noskey. "A lot of time when our loved ones are deceased, we question why and who.

"We cannot protect the past, but we can protect the future."

On July 30, 1975, the body of an unidentified woman was found in the North Saskatchewan River. An autopsy revealed she drowned several days earlier. The death was not deemed suspicious.

On June 11, 1976, an unidentified woman died outside an Edmonton address. An autopsy determined the death was due to medical causes. It was not deemed suspicious.

DNA analysis was not available in the 1970s and DNA samples were not collected from the women's bodies at the time.

"From our review of these investigations, there is no evidence to suggest that either woman's death was criminal in nature," said Insp. Colin Derksen, the officer in charge of the EPS major crimes branch, which includes the historical crimes section.

On Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 of last year, the bodies were exhumed from their graves in the Edmonton and Mount Pleasant cemeteries.

Two elders were present to perform sacred ceremonies, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and an external forensic anthropologist then reviewed the initial autopsy reports, re-examined the remains and collected samples containing DNA. The samples were sent for forensic testing, DNA extraction and comparison analysis.

Both women were identified through DNA matches with samples from family members submitted to the RCMP National DNA Data Bank.

Edmonton police said they were supported in their efforts to examine the two cases with support from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women and the City of Edmonton's Indigenous Relations Office.

"It's my heartfelt hope that the thorough review of these two cases provides some answers to the families," Derksen said.

Identifying Jacknife and Laderoute is worth celebrating, as many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls have not been found, said Josie Nepinak, president of the Edmonton-based Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women.

"There is an epidemic in this country," Nepinak said.

"These gatherings and these collaborations … bring us closer to solving many of those issues that continue to place Indigenous women in very vulnerable positions."

Kari Thomason, the EPS missing persons unit Indigenous navigator, shared statements on behalf of the families of Jacknife and Laderoute.

Jacknife was remembered as a loving mother, who enjoyed baking and cooking.

She would get on the floor to play with her children, cutting out figures and toys from cardboard boxes if no figurines were around, Thomason said.

The family also recalled often playing outside with her. They would climb a crabapple tree and pick its fruit when plentiful.

Darryl Jacknife was about six years old when he last saw his mother, he told reporters after Friday's news conference. He's grateful that he and the family have a bit of closure — and that he has pictures of her to bring home.

"It kind of ripped my family apart," he said about the loss of his mother, adding that the family is doing better now.

The family is trying to raise money for a traditional burial, he said.

Thomason shared statements from multiple relatives of Laderoute, expressing their love for the woman and the family's long devotion to finding her. The family never knew what truly happened, according to statements from her sisters.

Reva Laderoute recalled for CBC News the night her older sister disappeared. Reva was upstairs in the house caring for her child; when she went downstairs, her sister was gone.

"The doors were wide open. I had no idea where she went," she said.

The family tried to open a missing person file with police, but the report wasn't initially accepted, she said. The family felt unheard and they didn't know where else to turn.

Derksen, of the EPS major crimes branch, admitted during Friday's news conference that investigators could not find any record of a missing person report or investigation at the time Laderoute initially went missing. But a file was opened decades later because two of her sisters tried to report her missing again.

Reva Laderoute still has many unanswered questions, she said. She wants to visit her sister's grave and talk to her.

"It would mean a lot because I want to tell her how much I miss her and how much I love her," she said.

Choosing historical cases

Staff Sgt. Kevin Harrison, who leads the EPS historical crimes section, listed several factors police have to consider when selecting which historical cases to take on, such as the age of the file, how old witnesses and relatives may be and whether DNA samples exist.

Weight is given to missing and murdered Indigenous people, he said, because police recognize Indigenous people and communities have historically been underserved.

McFee vowed Friday that EPS will not stop investigating these cases. The police service will find ways to navigate limited resources and use evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

"The way we're going to get ahead of this stuff is innovation," McFee said. "There are things now that never existed."

Harrison said two more investigations are already underway.