The family of Seth Deschambeault is offering $10,000 for information leading to his whereabouts. (Submitted Photo/Saskatchewan RCMP)

By Susan McNeil

Missing person

$10,000 reward offered for info on missing Cumberland House man

Aug 25, 2023 | 5:21 PM

The woman who raised Seth Deschambeault is certain her adopted son died last year but has questions about how it happened and wants to know where his body is.

At the time, the community of Cumberland House was in turmoil and a standoff between five men and the RCMP on June 2 ended with one of the men dead of his own hand.

At first, Hazel Harris didn’t worry too much because someone had told her Seth was in the community and safe.

“I thought oh good, he’s here anyway but as the days went by, I thought how come he’s not here and how come he’s not calling me,” Harris said.

He was last seen alive on May 29 in Prince Albert, three days before the standoff happened and police stopped by two days later.

Community support

The Hunger Games return to Prince Albert

42m ago

Raiders win 5-3

Defensive scoring leads Raiders over Wheat Kings

8h ago

GST Holiday

Federal government's two-month GST holiday begins

Dec 14, 2024

On June 6, she reported him missing to RCMP in Prince Albert and just over a week after that, a news release confirmed that his disappearance was suspicious, and the Major Crimes Unit had taken over the investigation.

Information from officers was limited, so Harris took to social media, trying to get more information on who might know where Seth was.

“We weren’t getting anywhere until we posted a $5,000 (reward) and then we had a few people calling us,” Harris said. That was in September of last year.

Her sister doubled the reward, so the family is now offering $10,000 for information leading to the discovery of Seth’s body, no questions asked.

The reward has resulted in some tips, but Harris is reluctant to get her hopes up too high.

She knows the police are busy and says there are multiple RCMP investigations connected to Cumberland House.

“I don’t know if the cops are doing anything. There’s so many missing people from that time on and before that,” she said. “I feel like we’re all on our own.”

Help in searching is coming from the family of Meghan Gallagher, who was killed in Saskatoon in September 2020. Gallagher’s mother is a teacher from Cumberland House.

“They’re the ones who keep giving us pointers – just keep posting,” Harris said. “Even inaccurate information can have some truth buried in it.”

The end of May and beginning of June 2022 were a busy time for law enforcement in Cumberland House, Nipawin and Prince Albert with victims and accused all connected to Cumberland House in some way.

On May 29, 2022, Marisha Hoksbergen was killed in Cumberland House. Alvin Thomas, in his early 40s, is charged with second-degree murder and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Oct. 30 in the community.

Thomas had previously been sought by police after an incident in Nipawin in May 2021.

On June 2, 2022, four men were in a standoff with police that resulted in a lockdown of the community of Cumberland House. One man, who Harris said was named Lucas Lafferty, died of self-inflicted wounds.

Three men were charged following the standoff.

At the same time in unconnected events, the community was wondering what had happened to Megan Gallagher, who had been killed in Saskatoon and whose remains were found near St. Louis in September 2022.

Earlier this week, Prince Albert police charged two people in connection with the death of Tristan Chaboyer, who went missing on Sept. 2, 2020.

His bloodied clothing was found near Prince Albert’s Victoria Hospital months later. His remains were found northeast of Prince Albert. Chaboyer has family ties to Cumberland House.

Boden Umpherville was also known to visit Nipawin and Cumberland House.

Umpherville died in April of this year after a physical confrontation with Prince Albert Police. He had an active warrant out for arrest at the time.

—

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com