Death, disappearance of First Nations teens reignite concern about police practices in Thunder Bay

A pair of sadly familiar tragedies is unfolding this month in Thunder Bay, Ont., where aFirst Nations girl was found dead in a river and a First Nations boy has been missing for more than a week.

Tammy Keeashof North Caribou Lake First Nationwas found dead in a river in Thunder Bay on May 7. The 17-year-old was living in a group home in the city. She is the sixth Indigenous teen to drown in a Thunder Bay waterway since 2000.

Josiah Begg, 14, of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwugwas last seen on May 6 when he was visiting the city 600 kilometres south of his remote First Nationfor a medical appointment.

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"Something more happened to her besides accidental drowning," Keeash'smother, PearlSlipperjack,told CBC News on Wednesday. "Too manykids have been found in that river over there."

A recentcoroner's inquest examined the deaths ofseven Indigenous students in Thunder Bay between 2000 and 2011. The bodies of five of those students were foundin one of the local rivers.

The inquest jury could not determine how three of theteens came to be in the water,in part because of shortcomings in the Thunder Bay police investigations. The other two deaths in the river were determined to be "accidental".

"The investigation and the co-operation from the police has to improve when we have a missing child," said Nishnawbe AskiNation Deputy Grand Chief Anna BettyAchneepineskum."There have been numerous recommendations and testimonies from the inquest that speaks to this."

Private investigator

The relationship with police is so fraught that First Nations are looking for funds to hire a private investigator to probe further into Keeash's death.

First Nations are already conducting a search for Begg that is running in parallel to the police search.On Monday, a spokesperson for Begg's family said police were discouraging volunteers from searching the river for the missing teen.

• 'No evidence' missing Indigenous teen went into the river, Thunder Bay police say

Police told CBC News on Monday there was no reason to believe Begg had gone in the water. But that's also the day, according to Thunder Bay police Staff Sgt. Ryan Hughes, that Thunder Bay police requested the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police and its underwater recovery unit.

The boat, special equipment and divers wereexpected to start combing the river on Thursday morning.

"We're doing everything we can," Hughes said. "We're working very well with the family. We meet the family daily, provide them updates, they provide us updates.

"I'm an investigator [and] the people who work with me are investigators," he added. "We're not bringing any of the politics into it."

Meanwhile, First Nations leaders are also growing increasingly concerned about the need for children in their communities to travel far away from home for so many services, including education,foster homes andmedical services.

2nd child to die in care

Keeash is the fourth girl from a remote First Nation in Ontario to die in the custody of a child welfare agency since October 2016. She is Slipperjack's second child to die in care. Slipperjack said her 18-month-old son died of mysterious causes after staying in a foster home in 2012.

"We send the kids out to a complete stranger and we don't know how the caregiver is," Slipperjack said, adding her brother killed himselfwhile he was in the care of a child welfare agency.

• 3 things Ontario's youth advocate says would save Indigenous kids' lives

Beggwas staying in the city to access medical care he could not receive at home.

"By continuing to have to leave home for services, residential school days are still in practice," said KitchenuhmaykoosibInninuwug Chief James Cutfeet.

Nearly two weeks after Begg disappeared, his mother, Sunshine Winter,holds out hope that her son will return home.

"He's always making people laugh," Winter said on Wednesday, a faint smile crossing her face before tears threatened again."That's what I really miss right now.

"I believe I'll see him soon."