Lorraine Catholique’s niece has been declared officially dead. But that doesn’t mean all the questions have been answered.
On June 9, 2017, the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories issued an order stating it had found “reasonable grounds” to presume Charlene Candice Catholiic (a.k.a. Catholique) dead. Charlene went missing in Behchok??, formerly Fort Rae, on July 22, 1990. She had turned 15 years old the month before.
“Her father, who is very old, he’s like 77 years old and his health is not in good shape, he wants closure to it,” said Lorraine. Joseph Victor Catholique made the decision to pursue the court ruling.
But for Lorraine Catholique there is little closure. She was “basically (Charlene’s) step mom.” Charlene had moved to Yellowknife with her family, but started hanging out with members in nearby Behchok??.
“She was a very mature, responsible young lady. She knew she was involved in a relationship she shouldn’t have been,” said Catholique. “When she was due back, she never did make it back.”
Charlene was last seen hitchhiking on the Yellowknife Highway at the Behchok?? junction.
“I’m very, very skeptical about the investigation. I’m very skeptical about how it was conducted and how many investigators have gone through that whole case,” said Catholique. “They wouldn’t even allow me to look at the file and I’m an ex-RC(MP officer) myself.”
Catholique believes that somebody in the community of Behchok?? knows what happened to her niece and she believes that knowledge extends to people in Yellowknife because “people talk…. There’s been tons of rumours. She’s been spotted in Vancouver. She’s been spotted in North Dakota and so on.” She says the RCMP did not follow up on any of the rumours.
“If I were to see the file, I’d be making my own investigation,” said Catholique, who received an email from Cst. Jack Keefe of the G Division Major Crime Unit on June 9 saying he would be taking over the investigation.
Now that Charlene has been declared dead, Catholique has even more questions. What happens with the RCMP’s investigation? And what standing will Catholique have when the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls finally makes it ways to Edmonton?
These are all questions the newly-formed Family Information Liaison Unit can help with, says Laurie Davies, unit member for Central Alberta.
“We basically are liaisons to refer and connect family with whatever kind of resources they would need,” said Davies.
The province created FILU with $1.5 million from the federal government and designed it to be a culturally-relevant, one-stop support service and information source for families of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. The Trudeau Liberals set aside $11.7 million for the provinces and territories to establish units across the country during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Davies says FILU can gather the relevant information from a variety of sources, including the RCMP, and also connect grieving family members with Elders.
In Catholique’s case, Davies said, “We can also collaborate with the Yellowknife FILU to gather more information even if we don’t have access here.”