2 Indigenous women, found dead in 1970s, identified by Edmonton police
Two Indigenous women, whose identities remained a mystery for decades after their deaths, were honoured in Edmonton on Friday.
On July 30, 1975, the body of Louise Laderoute, 24, from Papaschase First Nation, was pulled from the North Saskatchewan River.
Almost a year later, on June 11, 1976, Irene Jacknife, 30, who had been reported missing from Drayton Valley, died outside an Edmonton address.
Both were buried in Edmonton ceremonies without officials being able to confirm their names.
Their files were the first to be re-examined as a part of Project Match, a collaboration by local and national authorities to review Edmonton Police Service's historical unidentified human remains investigations.
"Our investigators know from experience just how each unresolved investigation can be a source of family trauma for years, for generations even," said EPS Insp. Colin Derksen. "Through this project, Project Match, we intend to review each one of these 20 [unidentified human remains] investigations in question through a modern investigative lens using today's technology."
Supported by Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) and the City of Edmonton’s Indigenous Relations Office, EPS began working in August 2023 with the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains and the chief medical examiner's office on the cases.
Because DNA samples were not collected in the 1970s, the bodies of both women were exhumed. Two Elders oversaw the process and performed ceremonies.
The chief medical examiner's office and an external forensic anthropologist then collected DNA and re-examined both the remains and the reports from the initial autopsies.
Neither death was considered suspicious by police at the time. Autopsies concluded Laderoute drowned and Jacknife died from medical causes.
The DNA was submitted for forensic testing, DNA extraction and comparison analysis, leading to matches with familial samples that had been submitted to the RCMP National DNA Data Bank.
Derksen said EPS has reviewed the files and the remains, finding no evidence to suggest either of the women's deaths were criminal.
Both women were honoured in a ceremony in Edmonton on Friday.
"Today is a day to remember the spirits of these beautiful women. They were mothers, they were grandmothers, they were daughters, aunties, nieces. They are loved, and obviously very missed by their family and taken away far too soon," said IAAW president Josie Nepinak.
Reva Laderoute, Louise's sister, attended the ceremony. She doesn't believe her sister's drowning was an accident, but she said her identification has provided some closure.
"I'd like to re-bury her because we have a family plot in St. Albert. I'd like her to be with the rest of the family," Reva said. "I just remember she was beautiful to me. She didn't get to stay with us, but she did come to visit us, and I just wish she had gotten to stay."
Irene's son Darryl Jacknife said his mother was a kind person and losing her so young "destroyed a part" of him.
"We knew she was gone … it was just hard," he said. "Now we can try and get some closure."
"We're trying to raise money for a traditional burial and the last meal we give our family members," he added.
Both EPS and RCMP offered condolences to the loved ones of both women.
As of Friday, EPS' missing persons unit had 20 unsolved unidentified human remains files dating back to 1979 which will also be reviewed under Project Match. Investigators will be reviewing the oldest cases first.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an “innocent” couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough, and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other – Marie-Claude Bibeau – doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year’s attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel’s most wanted man.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
From Taylor Swift to Tinkerbell, these are the top trending Halloween costumes in Canada
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Car torched at home of owner of Old Montreal buildings struck by deadly arsons
Police are investigating a fire at a home in Dorval owned by Emile Benamor, the owner of the two Old Montreal buildings that were allegedly set on fire in the past year, killing nine.
OHL responds to CTV W5 investigation into alleged sexual assault by former junior hockey players
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) has released a statement in response to a recent CTV W5 investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2014.