Family members of an 18-year-old Calgary man, who was murdered nearly three years ago, say they’re angry and frustrated following the findings of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team’s (ASIRT) investigation.
Colton Crowshoe‘s body was pulled from a retention pond off Stoney Trail on July 24, 2014 after he had been missing for nearly three weeks.
ASIRT directed some harsh criticism at the Calgary Police Service Thursday, saying the investigation into the missing person complaint was rife with errors but no charges would be laid.
“To me, the greatest failure was the failure to talk to this family,” Susan Hughson, ASIRT’s executive director, said on Thursday.
READ MORE: Calgary police ‘not cleared of wrongdoing’ in slain teen Colton Crowshoe’s case: ASIRT
“We were calling the police. We were doing everything we could as a family to try and locate him,” Lillian Crowshoe, Colton’s aunt, told Global News on Friday.
“We were struggling to find help – to find somebody to help us.”
ASIRT also said it found evidence to support an allegation that Colton Crowshoe was assaulted while in custody, a few days before his disappearance.
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However, Hughson said the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service felt there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed with charges.
“I didn’t like what they did to him in custody that day,” Jimmy Crowshoe, Colton’s dad, told Global News on Friday. “He was being nice. He was being collective.”
“I want to make it clear: CPS has not been cleared of wrongdoing,” Hughson said. “CPS’ investigation into Colton Crowshoe’s missing person complaint was not done properly.”
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‘They are not cleared’: ASIRT on Colton Crowshoe investigation -
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‘They were not wrong that there were problems with Colton’s missing persons investigation’: ASIRT -
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‘Many small errors ended up to a catastrophic failure’: ASIRT on Colton Crowshoe investigation -
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‘The initial stage of this investigation was beset by a series of assumptions, errors, and oversights’ ASIRT
READ MORE: Divers search pond for evidence in Colton Crowshoe homicide
“I’m angry,” Jimmy Crowshoe said. “I feel bad about Jasmine (Colton’s sister). I feel bad about Wyatt (Colton’s brother). They miss their brother. I miss my baby. Yeah, I’m angry.”
Colton Crowshoe’s murder remains unsolved. The Calgary Police Service says the investigation is still an open investigation and ask anyone with information about his death to come forward.
“It hurts everyday. And it’s frustrating,” Jimmy Crowshoe said.
“But we’re always going to remember him. We’ll remember the good times, not the bad.”
WATCH BELOW: Alberta’s police watchdog has levelled some harsh criticism against the Calgary Police Service following a lengthy investigation. Kim Smith explains.
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