2 Indigenous women buried in 1970s identified through DNA analysis, Edmonton police say

Edmonton's police chief, Indigenous leaders and an elder offered condolences Friday morning to the families of two Indigenous women who were buried anonymously in Edmonton cemeteries nearly half a century ago.

DNA testing has identified the women as Louise Laderoute, 24, and Irene Jacknife, 30.

Laderoute, a member of Papaschase First Nation, was reported missing from Edmonton before she died in 1975. Jacknife, reported missing from Drayton Valley, Alta., died a year later.

"We know that naming now is a bitter sweet addition to the long saga of grief and pain. It's not easy, nor should it erase the pain of the loved ones who have suffered, or the decades of searching they have endured," said police Chief Dale McFee during a news conference Friday morning.

"I wish that your loved ones could have [been] identified and, obviously, returned sooner."

Police Chief Dale McFee said the Edmonton Police Service would continue investigating unresolved cases. (Peter Evans/CBC)

The two women are the first to be identified through Project Match, a joint effort launched last year between the Edmonton Police Service, RCMP and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to review historical unidentified human remains investigations.

The EPS missing persons unit currently has 14 unsolved unidentified human remains files dating back to 1979.

Unsolved cases leave families grieving and traumatized for years, Det. Kevin Harrison, with the EPS historical crimes unit, said in a statement. Through Project Match, the organizations are revisiting these files and applying today's technology and investigative lens to try to resolve them.

"It's not closure," said Treaty 8 First Nations Grand Chief Arthur Noskey. "A lot of time when our loved ones are deceased, we question why and who.

"We cannot protect the past, but we can protect the future."

Treaty 8 Grand Chief Arthur Noskey spoke during Friday's news conference. (Peter Evans/CBC)

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On July 30, 1975, the body of an unidentified woman was found in the North Saskatchewan River. An autopsy revealed she drowned several days earlier. The death was not deemed suspicious.

On June 11, 1976, an unidentified woman died outside an Edmonton address. An autopsy determined the death was due to medical causes. It was not deemed suspicious.

DNA analysis was not available in the 1970s and DNA samples were not collected from the women's bodies at the time.

"From our review of these investigations, there is no evidence to suggest that either woman's death was criminal in nature," said Colin Derksen, the inspector in charge of the EPS major crimes branch, which includes the historical crime section.

On Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 of last year, the bodies were exhumed from their graves in the Edmonton and Mount Pleasant cemeteries. Two elders were present to perform sacred ceremonies, police said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and an external forensic anthropologist then reviewed the initial autopsy reports, re-examined the remains and collected samples containing DNA. The samples were sent for forensic testing, DNA extraction and comparison analysis.

Both women were identified through DNA matches with samples from family members submitted to the RCMP National DNA Data Bank.

Edmonton police said they were supported in their efforts to examine the two cases with support from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women and the City of Edmonton's Indigenous Relations Office.

"It's my heartfelt hope that the thorough review of these two cases provides some answers to the families," Derksen said.