The family of a man found dead on the Onion Lake Cree Nation is calling for a police investigation into his death.
Glenn Waskewitch was found dead on Aug. 19 in a wooded area of the western Saskatchewan First Nation.
The coroner’s office concluded Waskewitch’s death was a suicide by hanging, and his skull and upper spine were removed by wildlife.
The RCMP agreed with the report and closed the file.
“The RCMP, I do believe that we have a good working relationship with them but I do believe that they didn’t do enough – sorry to say on this case. They didn’t do enough – period,” Onion Lake Chief Henry Lewis said.
His family disputes the findings, and believe Waskewitch was a victim of foul play.
The Waskewitch family said evidence contradicts he died of a self-inflicted injury and the location where he was found is inconsistent with a wildlife attack.
They added his skull is still missing despite an extensive search of the area.
“Features of Mr. Waskewitch’s body and the location of where it was found are inconsistent with wildlife attack,” said Grant Whitstone, member of and spokesperson for the family.
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“As the case of many Indigenous people, the family demands that the RCMP investigation be reopened with an autopsy performed on the body to determine the cause of Mr. Waskewitch’s death.”
RCMP said Wednesday afternoon they’ll take another look at the investigation and try to get the family as many answers as possible.
“When we look at it, we’ll be looking to make sure that the steps taken were proper and that the conclusions that were reached based on the evidence were logical as they were presented,” RCMP spokesperson Rob King said.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, it is determined that not every question can be answered, but we base our decisions and our recommendations and our conclusions on the evidence as it’s presented.”
King did not believe an autopsy was done in this investigation. He said once determined non-suspicious, it’s generally at the discretion of the coroner’s office if an autopsy is conducted.
Searchers continue to look for Waskewitch’s missing remains.
Onion Lake Cree Nation is roughly 280 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.
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