They are missing, but they are not forgotten.
That’s the message of the Splatsin First Nation, which hosts an information gathering session for local missing women Ashley Simpson, Deanna Wertz, Caitlin Potts and Nicole Bell and other missing and murdered women from within the 17 Secwepmecul’ecw (Secwepmec) bands.
“The Splatsin First Nation has been working with the B.C. Family Information Liaison Unit (FILU) to come to the community to provide information on assistance available to the families of the murdered and missing women in the nation including the families of guests who went missing in the nation,” said spokesperson Wendy Mohr in a release.
FILU is a new service for families of the murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. The unit is intended to assist families in accessing available information about their missing loved one, victim services available and how to gain information from various government sources about their missing family member file.
Speakers will be Freda Ens who worked supporting families through the Robert Pickton case and Brenda Wilson who was one of the people who took a 700 kilometer walk on the highway of tears. Wilson’s sister Ramona was murdered in 1994.
Jody Leon, president of the Murdered and Missing Drone Search Team, and Mohr, vice president, will also be in attendance representing the team’s efforts to continue to search for the four missing women in the area.
Leon will speak on future action to be taken for the MMIW and words of the families of the MMIW missing in the area.
Members of the families of Bell and Potts will be in attendance.
Related: MMIW drone team fundraising for summer searches
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