Family offers $16K reward in search for missing 17-year-old in Chemawawin Cree Nation
CBC
The family of a 17-year-old boy in Chemawawin Cree Nation is offering a $16,000 reward for the teen, who has been missing for 15 days.
"It's been really hard on us," said Belinda Merasty, Oteskan's adoptive mother, in an interview with CBC on Sunday. The money for the reward was raised by members of the community and surrounding communities, she said.
It's been just over a week since Chief Clarence Easter initiated a search and rescue operation for the boy. The team has searched the entire community so far, and they're expanding their search every day, yet they've found "absolutely nothing," lead searcher, Robert Walker, said.
"Our hopes are up every day," said Walker. "We want him home safe."
RCMP received a report of the boy missing on May 25, a RCMP release on May 27 says. In a previous interview, Belinda told CBC News her sister last saw him at home the evening of May 21.
But recent tips indicate the teen was last seen in the community on May 31, RCMP said in an email Friday.
About 60 to 80 people have been out searching for Oteskan daily, Walker said. The team is receiving help from other community members too, he added.
But the search is taking its toll on those involved.
"We're exhausted," Walker said. "We keep our hopes up every day, and then, you know, nothing every day, and then people are getting tired."
It has been especially difficult for Oteskan's family.
"We just need to know that he's OK," said Peter Merasty, Oteskan's adoptive father. "That he's alive and not dead somewhere."
Walker keeps the family updated about their search, Peter said. But Walker said it's hard to tell Oteskan's family that they found nothing.
"You wanna tell them that we have him, come get your son. That's what I wanna do every day," Walker said.
Oteskan is five feet tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes, the RCMP release says.
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