Journey from Manitoba First Nation aims to raise awareness for murdered teen
Body of Leah Anderson, 15, was found badly disfigured by God's Lake Narrows snowmobile trail in 2013
Members of a Manitoba First Nation are hoping their journey to Winnipeg helps reignite efforts to solve the case of a murdered indigenous teen girl.
Leah Anderson's body was found near a snowmobile trail in God's Lake Narrows in January of 2013. Family say the 15-year-old girl set off to play hockey with friends at a local rink and never came home.
Two days later, she was found beaten and disfigured to the point that people initially believed she had been mauled by dogs, but investigators later determined she was the victim of a homicide.
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Missing & Murdered: Unsolved cases of indigenous women and girls
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WATCH: Who killed Leah Anderson?
No arrests have been made, so Leah Anderson's sister Tiffany Anderson, and her aunt Josie Anderson, decided to organize a nearly 800-kilometre-long walk from God's Lake Narrows to Winnipeg to raise awareness about the unsolved case.
"We need closure," said Josie Anderson. "[We're] in a community of 2,500, and they can't find who did this to Leah?"
Because the First Nation is only accessible via ice road in the winter, some say it is likely the killer was still in the community when RCMP visited to investigate Leah Anderson's death two years ago.
The possibility that the killer has remained in there undetected for all of that time doesn't sit well with people in the community.
"I'm just scared," said Tiffany Anderson. "I could be talking to someone who knows, and they're not telling me and looking me in my face and looking at me as if everything is alright."
Tiffany Anderson said she isn't pleased with the amount of information the family has received from police about the investigation.
"We haven't been getting any feedback from the RCMP and it is really starting to get to me," said Tiffany Anderson. "What are they doing, are they still investigating?"
In an email to CBC News, RCMP confirmed the investigation into Anderson's death is active and ongoing.
"While we are not in a position to release details at this time, any piece of information, no matter how small, needs to be shared with our investigators," RCMP said.
Anyone with information about Anderson's death is asked to call the RCMP at (204) 983-5420 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.