Leaders in Mayo, Yukon, urge people to come forward to help solve 2023 double homicide

Chris MacIntyre · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 hours ago

More than 2 years aft a treble homicide successful Mayo, Yukon, constabulary person made nary arrests successful the lawsuit — and that's near residents feeling unsafe successful their ain community, according to immoderate section leaders. 

Benjamin Symington and Michael Bennett were some fatally changeable successful March 2023, astatine the C-6 subdivision successful Mayo.

"People are inactive not feeling rather safe," said Chief Dawna Hope of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyӓk Dun.

"Every clip we person a gathering we're continuously asked to instal cameras, and much procedures — truthful that we tin connection much avenues, oregon resources for radical to interaction erstwhile they are acrophobic astir activities going connected that they're witnessing."

Hope said that since the shootings, the First Nation has installed cameras astir the C-6 subdivision, and is currently looking astatine installing them successful different areas astir the community. She said it's fixed immoderate radical a tiny consciousness of information but it inactive doesn't code the larger contented remaining for citizens.

"Still knowing that determination is simply a murderer retired there, oregon a treble murderer retired there, they're precise concerned," Hope told CBC News. "And [they] inactive speech astir that. They inactive consciousness unsafe until that person's recovered and we get to the bottommost of what happened."

Hope said she understands that radical whitethorn beryllium hesitant oregon scared to stock immoderate accusation they mightiness person astir the shootings, arsenic Mayo is simply a precise tiny community. But she said doing truthful would take the powerfulness distant from radical causing harm, and put it backmost into the hands of the community.

"Please find idiosyncratic who you consciousness comfy talking to, and you tin supply immoderate accusation that you whitethorn person heard of oregon person concerns about," Hope said. "You tin bash that successful an anonymous way. All we're trying to bash is consciousness harmless successful our assemblage again."

Mayo's Mayor Trevor Ellis said helium feels powerless erstwhile assemblage members inquire wherefore an apprehension hasn't been made yet, aft truthful overmuch clip has passed. Ellis said each helium tin say is that he trusts RCMP are doing everything they can with the grounds they have.

Like Hope, he's urging anyone with accusation to spell to police.

"I mean, if you're frightened of testifying, spell to the RCMP and person a treatment with them. To stay soundless is to conscionable prolong the situation," Ellis said.

RCMP look for leads on 'vehicle of interest'

On April 22, Yukon RCMP issued a quality merchandise saying constabulary were still investigating the homicide deaths of Symington and Bennett. They besides called for radical to travel guardant with immoderate further accusation that could assistance determination the probe along.

"We judge determination are inactive individuals with information" said Cpl. John Gillis of the Yukon Major Crimes Unit, successful a statement.

"We cognize determination are individuals who person not been forthcoming with information, and others who are choosing not to co-operate with police. We are appealing to these radical to travel guardant and talk with constabulary to assistance supply answers and justness for the household and friends of Ben and Michael."

The merchandise besides says RCMP are looking for immoderate leads astir a "vehicle of interest," describing it arsenic a "large motortruck with a lightbar ... believed to person been successful the country of the murders connected March 11, 2023."

"If anyone knows thing astir this conveyance and immoderate imaginable nexus to the investigation, constabulary inquire for them to travel forward," the merchandise says.