Police photo of Dawn Walker and her seven-year-old son.HO/The Canadian Press
An Indigenous author and executive with a group representing First Nations in Saskatchewan has been found safe in Oregon, Saskatoon police announced Friday, two weeks after she and her seven-year-old son went missing.
Dawn Dumont Walker, an author and speaker from the Okanese Cree Nation in southern Saskatchewan, was reported missing on July 24. He had last been seen two days earlier, at a business in Saskatoon. She is an executive of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN).
Air, ground and water crews had been scouring the region for the couple, with investigators focusing their search on the South Saskatchewan River, after their red F-150 pickup truck and some personal belongings were discovered in the riverside at Chief Whitecap Park, about a 20-minute drive south of Saskatoon. Her purse had also been discovered in the area by a person who handed it over to the police.
Saskatoon police announced Friday that Ms. Walker and her son, Vincent Jansen, had been located “safe and sound” in the Oregon city after investigators determined they had crossed into the United States.
“Agency representatives are currently working on details to arrange his return to Canada,” the service wrote in a press release. “The investigation was able to follow them to the location in Oregon City, where cross-border cooperation with law enforcement was utilized.”
Saskatoon police noted that U.S. authorities are “considering the implications and any potential action” related to her crossing into the U.S. “Pending action by U.S. authorities, Dawn Walker will be returned to Saskatoon to meet- with the researchers.”
U.S. representatives are also working with Saskatoon police to return Vincent to a legal guardian, they said.
Ms. Walker’s mother, Theresa Walker of the Okanese First Nation, said in a statement released by FSIN that the family and community were “overwhelmed” by the news that Ms. Walker and her son were safe.
“Our prayers have been answered,” he said in the statement. “The past 15 days have been very difficult for our family and community. … We recognize that our challenges will continue in the coming days and weeks, and we will continue to support him in this challenge ahead.”
FSIN Vice President Heather Bear said in the same statement that the organization will follow the legal process closely.
“At FSIN, we know why First Nations women go missing and we recognize that there are many complex issues surrounding their disappearances,” she said.
An award-winning author, Ms. Walker (who writes under the name Dawn Dumont) was shortlisted this week for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humor. The award association said it was on the same day the nominees were announced that they learned of his disappearance.
The Prairie Chicken Dance Tour is loosely based on the story of a 1970s European tour by a group of indigenous dancers. Ms. Walker’s previous books include Glass beads, Nobody cries at bingo i The race of the rose.
The author, who has been an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women, ran as a Liberal candidate for the University of Saskatoon in last year’s federal election.
After the disappearance, Vincent’s father Andrew Jansen launched a website with printable posters of Ms Walker and her son. Mr. Jansen had also set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for search efforts.
“Vincent has been found!” the website said Friday afternoon, following the police announcement.
Saskatoon police said they would hold a press conference on Monday.
With archives from The Canadian Press
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