Sask. family calls for more collaboration between police and families in missing persons cases

Darla Ponace · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 6:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

On the eighth anniversary of Happy Charles's disappearance, her household held a rally successful beforehand of the Prince Albert Police station, calling for changes to however cases similar hers are handled.

Charles' stepfather Carson Poitras, who has been an advocator and dependable for the family, said the rally was held Thursday to punctual the constabulary of a meeting they had successful July 2024, erstwhile they were promised much would beryllium done successful regards to the investigation.

"We are trying to get them to perceive to america and fto them cognize that our girl matters," said Carson. 

"She's a human, she's a mother, she's a loved 1 that we dearly missed and we request to bring her location and we request our record looked astatine much diligently due to the fact that it's been eight long years."

Charles' last known determination was in the Prince Albert Collegiate Institute/Kinsmen Park area, according to the Prince Albert Police Service.

The past clip Charles was seen, according to a timestamp connected a video released by police, was 11:50 p.m. connected April 3, 2017.

The household is calling for alteration successful the mode missing persons cases are handled, and privation to spot much collaboration betwixt the RCMP and metropolis police. 

"My anticipation is to bring much consciousness to the barriers that we look and besides to get escaped of those barriers and bring immoderate of the missing radical home," said Regina Poitras, the parent of Charles.

Carson is hoping the rally volition physique a stronger narration with the police, for their household and different families who person a missing loved one. 

"We privation to bring that back, wherever the families tin consciousness comfy talking to police, and beryllium assured that the constabulary are doing their job, and past they really care," said Carson.

Carson said many tips person poured successful regarding the disappearance of their daughter — so overmuch that the family took it upon themselves to bash their ain probe into immoderate of the tips. 

"We are the investigators and we're not trained for that, and immoderate tips that travel in, we person to analyse those tips," helium said.

"Once we bash that, past we gotta notation them backmost to the constabulary anyhow due to the fact that the constabulary don't judge the accusation that we gathered. So it's frustrating."

Charles' parent Regina asked for anyone who knows thing astir her daughter's disappearance to come forward, arsenic "that extremity mightiness beryllium the 1 we request to bring her home," she said. 

Carson hopes things alteration successful the mode constabulary grip missing cases successful the future, not conscionable for their girl but for each different MMIWG2S, and men. 

"It's a truly frustrating ordeal that we've been going through, and we request to get that changed due to the fact that we're not getting immoderate younger," helium said. 

In a connection to CBC, the Prince Albert Police Service said the probe is ongoing. Police promote anyone who mightiness person accusation to call police astatine 306-953-4222 oregon Crime Stoppers astatine 1-800-222-8477.