The disappearance of William Slywka in 1982 was among the cases discussed during Thursday's Board of Police Commissioners meeting. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Unsolved cases

‘It’s like a big open wound’: Prince Albert’s unsolved cases

May 20, 2021 | 5:00 PM

A detailed look at Prince Albert’s missing persons cases was presented to the Board of Police Commissioners on Thursday.

Sgt. Kathy Edwardsen, the officer assigned to the Historical Missing Persons and Homicide Section of the Prince Albert Police Service, was invited to provide a presentation.

There’s currently nine files associated with missing persons and one unsolved homicide investigation. One of Edwardsen’s responsibilities is speaking with the families who have lost someone.

“It’s like a big open wound that is so difficult to heal, and without answers, it’s almost impossible to heal,” she said. “These families struggle.”

The city’s oldest missing persons file dates back to Aug. 3, 1979. June Johnson was given a ride from her home to the Marlboro Inn, where she checked in. Johnson, a single mother with three children, would have turned 76 this year.

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Joseph Couldwell was last seen by his mother on May 25, 1981, and when his motorcycle was located abandoned on the river’s edge across from ninth Ave. W., Edwardsen said foul play was ruled out, but added Couldwell’s two children still have unanswered questions.

“Even though they were very young, they need closure and even just finding remains can be the closure they need to have a proper burial for their father,” she said.

The city’s lone unsolved homicide case is Jean Lachance, who was murdered on Sept. 15, 1991. Her body was found along the bush line in a field south of Victoria Hospital. Lachance left behind five children. Despite several persons of interest being identified, they have all been cleared by either verification of the facts or polygraph.

A relatively new tool at the disposal for police to use in the past five years was the creation of a national DNA bank. Edwardsen explained the DNA bank contains roughly 300 unidentified remains.

“It’s constantly running and compares new DNA that comes in,” she said.

Earlier this week, the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) announced they’ve been running a new billboard campaign across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba. The goal is to generate new information about the cases and raise awareness about missing and murdered Indigenous people from the local community.

Funded through the Criminal Investigations Division of the police serve, the final cost of the campaign is $4,997.14 plus tax.

Happy Charles has been missing since April 3. 2017. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

Is a different approach needed?

Referring to the current billboard campaign as “unsuccessful”, mayor and board member Greg Dionne said he would like to see a different approach with respect to how the cases are presented to the public. He suggested instead of posting pictures of the victims, perhaps focusing on the predators.

‘Are you tired of looking over your shoulder? Because we are going to be knocking on your door pretty soon,” he said.

Edwardsen agreed it was a good idea worth looking into. Police Chief Jon Bergen said similar initiatives have been done in other parts of the country.

Noting the possibility the people responsible may already be serving time on unrelated matters, board member Blake Edwards suggested distributing pamphlets of the missing persons in the jails and prisons.

The Historical Missing Persons and Unsolved Homicide Section works collaboratively with Victim Services to help raise awareness on all the files. The section also works closely with police agencies across the country.

According to the Saskatchewan Association of Police Chiefs website, there are 133 missing persons files being investigated in Saskatchewan. There’s nine files related to found unidentified human remains.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell