'Something more to this': Saskatoon mother seeks answers in death of son taken into custody

As she holds a picture of her son, Charmaine Dreaver remembers singing 'you are my sunshine' to Jordan Lafond when he was a boy.

The Saskatoon mother is pleading for answers in her 21-year-old son's death. Lafond died last month one day after being taken into custody following a police chase that ended in a collision.

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"I just want and need the truth to be told," Dreaver told CBC News.

Lafond was the passenger in a stolen vehicle that was spotted by police on the city's west side in the early hours of Oct. 23. A pursuit ensued, ending when the vehicle crashed into a fence near Bethlehem Catholic High School.

Police say the driver ran from the scene but was tracked down and charged.

Lafond was found under the rear of the vehicle. Police said Thursday it's believed he was thrown from the vehicle in the crash.

"My son was banged up pretty bad. His body showed signs of a lot of damage," Dreaver said, recalling LaFond's injuries.

• Saskatoon police launch investigation into death of man taken into custody

Dreaver said from the first time she was told her son was hurt, she was left with an uneasy feeling.

That feeling continued when she learned that the other young man in the vehicle wasn't hurt as badly as her son.

"[That] made me feel that, OK, there's something more to this."

Dreaver said she was told the bruising and head trauma her son suffered was a result of the collision.

I was angered and I was so hurt because my son went through so much pain.- Charmaine Dreaver, mother of Jordan Lafond

She began pushing for an autopsy to be done to find out for sure.

Weighilltold the media thatLafondreportedly resisted arrest. He said an officer then used his knee to subdueLafond.

"I was angered and I was so hurt because my son went through so much pain,"Dreaversaid.

As police ChiefCliveWeighilltold reporters on Thursday,Dreavermet with him about the incident.

In the meeting Dreaver said Weighill told her physical forced was used, however she says she was surprised to find out through media reports that the officer used his knee to subdue her son.

"I almost felt that I was lied to, really, because I didn't know.I wasn't told about [it]."

Saskatoon mother seeks answers in death of son taken into custody

8 years ago

Duration 0:35

Charmaine Dreaver is pleading for answers in her 21-year-old son's death, who died last month one day after being taken into custody following a police chase that ended in a collision.

Dreaver called Lafond her world, describing the young man as a loving father.

"He always had this gorgeous smile. He had bright blue eyes. He just he lit up the room."

Now she is forced to wait for the results of the autopsy, which was done on Wednesday. Weighill said a timeline for the results isn't known.

Dreaver and other family members met with theFederation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations special investigations unit and the chief of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation Friday morning to discuss what more can be done.