The family and friends of Megan Gallagher attended court for the second day in Saskatoon as one of the accused in her case made his first court appearance.
Gallagher was last seen on Sept. 19, 2020. In January 2021, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) announced they were treating her disappearance as a homicide.
Roderick William Sutherland, 44, has been charged with offering an indignity to human remains. He appeared in court Friday morning wearing a grey T-Shirt. He was remanded.
Sutherland was taken into custody in the Prince Albert area by the RCMP after a tip from the public.
On Wednesday, Saskatoon police announced they had arrested one man and were looking for three others, including Sutherland.
That first man, Ernest Whitehead, 41, made his first appearance on Thursday.
SPS has issued arrest warrants for two others wanted on charges of offering an indignity to human remains.
The wanted suspects are John Wayne Sanderson, 44, of James Smith Cree Nation and Jessica Sutherland, 45, whose address is unknown.
Brian Gallagher, Megan’s father, said he’s gotten hundreds of messages of people wishing the family well.
He said he’s been in a “holding pattern” for the last few days as police lay charges and some of the accused make their first appearances.
Brian remembers his daughter’s sense of humour and how caring she was.
“She would give her heart and soul to help anybody that asked, “ Brian said. “She definitely had a teasing sense of humour. She liked to kid with and have fun. She liked to see people happy.”
Brian said he can’t see Megan happy now watching her family suffer.
“She’s in a terrible state if she see’s us crying — if she sees us unhappy (and) all of her friends unhappy.”
Brian said when he closes his eyes he sees Megan eating her 16th birthday cake or with children. He said she loved to play and wrestle with children.
Megan’s aunt, Wendy Sekulich, said they have a small family including grandkids who Megan would babysit or visit.
“The grandbabies miss her dearly,” Sekulich said.
Sekulich said the family has a joke about who can get to the hospital first to hold the babies in the family when they are born and that there’s lots of photos of Megan holding the grandkids when they were first born.
The youngest grandchild was born Sept. 21, 2021, almost a year after Megan was last seen.
The baby was named after Megan, sharing the same middle name as her.
“My last prayer at night is for Megan. My first prayer in the morning is for Megan. We need her home,” Sekulich said.
Sekulich said Whitehead, who was in court on Thursday, was a student of hers from Grade 9 to 12.