False confession in Draper Jim cold case leads to mischief charge for Sask. inmate

A family member desperate for any information on the whereabouts of her nephew has been dealt another blow with the false confession of an inmate about the disappearance of Draper Jim, who went missing 11 years ago.

Jim’s aunt, Lillian Thomas, told Global News last week she was on a crusade for closure.

READ MORE: Family of missing Saskatchewan man Draper Lee Jim marks painful anniversary

For more than a decade, the grief-stricken Thomas has searched for her beloved nephew, but as time wore on, she began to come to the realization the 27-year old may no longer be alive.

“I would just love to hear to his voice, but I have known for quite some time that I’m not going to,” she said, weeping.

“Somebody did do something to him, because this is not like him. I know he would have called me by now.”

Jim was last seen alive Feb. 21, 2006 after leaving his job at the Maple Leaf Foods plant in North Battleford. His last known whereabouts was 21 kilometres north on Highway 4.

Last January, new information led family and police to believe the decade-long search for Jim might be over.

A 27-year-old inmate serving time at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary said he injured Jim then left him somewhere.

READ MORE: ‘It doesn’t seem to get any easier’ Sheree Fertuck’s mother says a year later

According to Cpl. Donna Zawislak with the RCMP Historical Case Unit North, following multiple checks and searches by officers to corroborate the information, they determined the confession to be a hoax.

The incident follows another where someone tried to scam Jim’s family for money by pretending to be the missing man.

“As a result, because the information he provided was intentionally false, he was subsequently charged with public mischief.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As a result, because the information he provided was intentionally false, he was subsequently charged with public mischief."

View image in full screen

RCMP also confirmed that this past fall they met with some of Jim’s family members to tell them to the news.

The investigation into the disappearance of Draper Jim is still ongoing. Zawislak vowed that police will not stop until they find Jim or find out what happened to him.

“Whether that happens next week or if that happens years from now, we are still going to keep working on Draper Jim’s disappearance,” she said.

The mischief charge against the inmate is still before the courts.

READ MORE: Mom continues search for missing Saskatchewan teen Mekayla Bali

Zawislak added that false confessions are rare and that there are many who provide often useful information to help families gain closure.

“When we find out information and we disprove it, it’s disappointing, but also helps clear certain things up,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "When we find out information and we disprove it, it's disappointing, but also helps clear certain things up," she said.

Sometimes, Zawislak said, it only takes a little piece of the puzzle for things to fall into place.

“People don’t have to be concerned about what information they provide or how they find it out — it’s just more important that they share it with us.”

View image in full screen