First Nations Voice

JULY 2014 • PAGE 7 When Marcus McKay went missing on a hunting trip in northern Manitoba the sum- mer of 2000, hundreds of volunteers trav- elled to the town of Mallard to help search for the eight year-old. July 15 marks 14 years since that day, and the search is not over. Marcus was hunting with his stepfather, uncle and cousins in the muskeg and bush about 100 kilometres northeast of Dauphin. The group split up, and Marcus's stepfather said that after he shot a deer, he went to get the rest of their hunting party while Marcus waited with the animal. When they returned to the spot, he was gone. The Historical Case Unit at RCMP "D" Di- vision became involved with the investigation five years ago. "It is important to find answers and bring closure for the family," said Tara Seel, an RCMP spokesperson. "We feel re- sponsible to those who are missing to make sure they are heard and that they get justice. We follow every last shred of evidence and consider every possible scenario." Following Marcus's disappearance, the massive search effort that continued for weeks included hundreds of volunteers, RCMP, tracking dogs, military personnel, elders, planes, infrared and amphibious vehicles. "The support of the community in the search for Marcus was absolutely incred- ible," Seel said. "This case is no longer a search and res- cue operation; it is about finding answers." Today, the search for Marcus looks very different. "When you are dealing with his- torical cases, there are several challenges, namely deterioration of evidence, witness' memory recall and the quality of evidence," said Seel. MissingKids.ca partners with police in the search for missing children, provides support to families and highlights cases to makesure Marcus, and other missing children, are not forgotten. Staff are available 24-hours a day, seven days a week to assist the families of missing children. "The passing of time complicates the in- vestigation when a child is missing," said Christy Dzikowicz, Director of MissingKids. ca. "But sometimes an individual who knows something about the disappearance realizes that the family has suffered for so long, not knowing where their child is, that it's time to come forward and share that information." If you have any information about the disap- pearance of Marcus McKay, or any missing child, call 1-800-Kid-tips. Marcus McKay Every second counts if your child goes missing. Download the FREE app today at findmeid.ca 14 yEarS latEr, tHE SEarCH For MarCuS MCKay CoNtINuES "Please don't assume we know what you know. If you have information, please share it," said Seel. "We have not forgotten about Marcus. We never will. We will stop work on Marcus's case only when we know the truth about what happened to him."\

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