The police are no longer searching for the two missing individuals from Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation. They have thanked the public for its assistance but have closed the case.
The Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) and the Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation are calling on the public for help in finding two individuals.
The two were last seen in the evening shortly around 4:30 p.m. on April 26 by the silos on Duncan Street near Syndicate Avenue.
A third person who arrived with the two missing individuals was seen leaving the property, but the other two were never seen leaving.
“Once we knew that this was the location, investigators have been working around the clock looking at this site, investigating this, and we don’t have anything to suggest that they left this property,” says TBPS Missing Persons Coordinator Jeff Saunders.
The police have deployed drones, gone through the elevators, and enlisted the assistance of the fire department, but they have yet to search the water next to the property.
“The water is probably the next step,” says Saunders. “It’s a reality that they may have made their way around or further down.”
A search of the water will take longer and require the involvement of the Ontario Provincial Police.
The police aren’t the only ones searching.
The two missing persons are from the Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation, north of Ignace.
The First Nation has its own search underway as well.
The searchers from the First Nation are dressed in bright orange, and will be looking into properties in the surrounding area.
“We don’t mean to disrespect anybody’s property by any means, but you have to understand that we’re looking for a loved one here,” says Chief Merle Loon of the Mishkeegogamang, who is a relative of both missing persons.
Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation says this isn’t the first time that community members have gone missing by the river, and worries about a lack of video cameras by the water.
“Knowing that this is a high-traffic area, I think there should be more cameras along the river. And that’s something we heard about nine years ago during the seven youth inquest,” says Fiddler. “I’m sure there’s things that can be done to ensure that the safety of our community members is a priority.”
Fiddler recently met with Mayor Ken Boshcoff and Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon to discuss community safety.
