An RCMP officer makes their rounds in the village of Zeballos, B.C., on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
More than two decades after her body was found at the side of a road, the RCMP has agreed to apologize to an Indigenous woman's family for failing to properly investigate her death.The RCMP's civilian watchdog agency has found serious flaws in two separate investigations into the death of an Indigenous woman.
Their concerns date back to 2001 when the body of their elderly relative — who had been reported missing to a non-RCMP police service — was discovered down an embankment at the side of a road near her abandoned truck.After reviewing the family's concerns, both the CRCC and the RCMP agreed the 2001 investigation was fraught with shortcomings.
"It is disconcerting that family members were able to readily locate many items that could have been key pieces of evidence, yet were missed by trained investigators," said the CRCC report. According to his police notes, reviewed by the CRCC, the constable concluded the "cause of death has been classified as 'undetermined.' Writer feels this file can now be concluded."
The CRCC stressed that the evidence documented by police in 2001 did not in and of itself constitute evidence of foul play. The family members told police that their relative's purse, cane and walker had never been found. They also said that when her truck was returned to them, it contained cigarette butts — the family said she didn't smoke.
The watchdog disagreed and ruled the second investigation was also unreasonable and ended prematurely. Duheme disagreed with the CRCC about the 2012 investigation, arguing there were no reasonable avenues of investigation open at the time.
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