Police use unconventional methods to probe historic cold case

REGINA – Saturday marks 10 years since Tamra Keepness, who was five years old at the time, seemingly vanished from her Regina home.

Although a decade has passed, loved ones and police continue to seek clues to help solve the mystery.

Don Simpson has been cutting hair for over 40 years at his barber shop, located just around the corner from where Tamra went missing.

He’s left posters of the young girl on display in his store window since the day she went missing.
“I remember that kid on the corner, down here at the grocery store getting candy all the time,” he recalled.

News that Tamra went missing back in July, 2004, sparked a massive land search with hundreds turning out to help, including Darryl Naytowhow from the Montreal Cree Nation search and rescue team.

“The hardest thing was constantly searching every street, every day and night, just looking for a five year old that’s gone missing.”

Tamra’s father, Troy, said it was hard to believe it’s been 10 years.

“A lot of heartache,” he explained. “I’m just in shock. It’s been so long and it’s hard to know what could be, and I’m just scared.”

The investigation has turned out more than 1,700 tips over 10 years, but few solid leads.

According to Elizabeth Popowich with the Regina Police Service, some less conventional methods, like psychic readings and elders’ visions, were used to help look for answers.

“When we were asking for information from the public, we recognized that information could come to us in a lot of different ways and we shouldn’t be skeptical or scornful because we didn’t understand the method,” she explained.

A decade later, Tamra’s disappearance hangs over the community like a dark cloud, and Simpson said that until Tamra is brought home, her picture will continue to hang in his store window.

“There’s always a chance you know, that she’s alive.”