Family of Happy Charles continues to hope; gathers for awareness walk in PA
CBC
It was an emotional day for the family of Happy Charles.
On Sunday, exactly five years after Charles went missing in Prince Albert, her mother and stepfather gathered with others for an awareness walk in the city where their loved one disappeared in 2017.
"We had lots of support," said Carson Poitras, Charles' stepfather, after the walk.
"A lot more people [came] than we anticipated."
The family was quite surprised by the number of people who came to the event, especially when they saw some children holding up signs saying 'Honk for Happy.'
Poitras estimates around 50 to 60 people gathered for the walk, showing that Charles has not been forgotten.
The walk started at Charles' last known location, in the Prince Albert Collegiate Institute/Kinsmen Park area, according to the Prince Albert Police Service.
Officers continue to actively investigate Charles' disappearance and to treat this case as a missing person investigation, said police in an email.
Some members of the force, including the police chief, attended the walk.
Charles' family hopes someone will come forward to share a tip about the whereabouts of their loved one.
"It's been a long journey and we're always hoping that we'll get some answers," said Poitras.
"One of the big things that stuck out on this walk was hope and never forgetting. We'll never forget our daughter, and we'll always make sure that people are aware of not only our daughter going missing, but other people going missing as well."
People whose loved-ones are missing need more support, added Poitras.
Charles' family hopes to set up a liaison office for families of missing Indigenous people in Saskatchewan.